The True Homefront
by MajinSM
Summary: Book 1 of Flightless Macaw, Nameless Raven. Nanashi, a white raven, and his surrogate younger brother, Blu, are kidnapped from their jungle home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and sold off for profit to an unknown fate. They are rescued by a young girl named Linda, and fifteen years later, must travel to Rio de Janeiro to help save Blu's species, but it's not all fun and games in Rio.
1. Prologue: My Final Wish, My First Step

**This is a new idea I'm trying out, involving **_**Naruto**_** and one of my favorite movies. I do think I want to make this into a multi-chapter story, but all my focus is on **_**The Trials of Destiny**_**, so I can't guarantee consistent updates on this story, and I apologize in advance.**

**That said, enjoy this new foray!**

* * *

**Prologue: My Final Wish, My First Step**

Shisui coughed a bit of blood as he ran into the treeline next to the Naka River, doing his best to evade Danzo and his best soldiers. "Damn… I don't have much energy left… I can't let them get their hands on my other eye…" Not a few minutes ago, Danzo and his best ROOT squad had confronted Shisui and taken his left eye, the one possessing **Kotoamatsukami**, one of the most powerful genjutsu known to the shinobi world, no doubt so Danzo could use it for his own ends.

"Well… it's too bad… I could have helped bring the clan out of its despair and darkness… but without my eye, the hubris of our clan will no doubt become its downfall… I only wish I could give my eye… to someone else to safeguard it from that old crony…"

Just as Shisui rested against a tree branch, taking labored breaths to keep himself awake and focused despite his severe injuries, he sensed a very large chakra presence coming his way. _Wait… is that Itachi?_

Shisui cautiously stood up, leaning against the tree for support, as the person, who indeed was Itachi, leapt out of the treetops and landed on the ground in front of him. Itachi's eyes widened when he saw his friend missing an eye. "Shisui, what happened?"

"That old warhawk is what's happened… Danzo ambushed me with asquad of his ANBU and stole my left eye."

"Damn… I'm going to make them pay!"

Shisui stopped Itachi before he could leap away in pursuit of Danzo. "Itachi… please, don't. I know Danzo's going to come back for me… and right now, I'm not strong to fight him off."

"Than I'll help you fight them, Shisui. We can't let them get away with this!" Itachi protested heatedly.

Shisui slowly shook his head. "No, it's too late. If Danzo and his lackeys get a hold of me again, I know I'm going to die. So instead, I must deny him the chance to become more powerful and arrogant than he already is." Shisui reached up, and with a scream of agony, cleanly removed his right eye from its socket, leaving the jonin completely blind, blood leaking out of the eye sockets that once held the coveted eyes of one of the strongest Uchiha of his generation.

Shisui held his eye out to Itachi somberly. "This has to be my last act. Itachi, please, take my eye. Make sure no one knows of its existence. If Danzo gets a hold of this one, he'll be unstoppable."

Itachi took it, summoning one of the more mindless ravens and implanting the still-active Mangekyo in its right eye socket. "What are you going to do now, Shisui? You won't be able to fight them."

"I'm sorry, Itachi, but you know what I have to do." And Itachi did himself, if the tears streaking down both sides of his face were any indication. "My body might have the genetics necessary to make clones or some other outlandish thing, and I don't doubt for a second that Danzo would pass it off to that teme Orochimaru to conduct his sick experiments. We can't give him the chance."

Itachi shook his head, desperately clinging on to what hope for his best friend he still had. "No, you can live, Shisui! We can't let them beat us! You don't have to go! Please, don't leave me alone!"

Shisui gingerly felt around, and then put his hand over Itachi's heart – or what he assumed to be. "Itachi, I know this is going to be a hard thing to ask, but I've known you since you were just a kid, so I know you have the will necessary… to do what has to be done. I cannot allow Danzo to get his hands on me." Shisui laid on the ground and took one of his kunai out of its holster. "It's definitely not the way I imagined going out, but I have to end my own life to prevent more from being lost. When I do, use your strongest fire jutsu to incinerate my body. Leave nothing left, not even ashes."

"Okay, Shisui," Itachi whispered in a cracking voice, his tenuous hold over his emotions already slipping. "I'm… sorry it had to end this way."

"I am too. I wish I was stronger so this didn't have to happen. Who knows, in another life, maybe I could have gotten rid of Danzo myself, we both know he did harbor quite a bit of fear for my abilities. And Itachi?"

"Y-y-yes, Shisui?"

"Take care of your little brother. Do your best to make sure he isn't plagued by the clan's Curse, okay? He's innocent, but once he sees the world we live in, he's going to have a hard life ahead of him."

Itachi only nodded, no longer trusting his voice. Tears had already stopped flowing, in part because of Itachi's eventual acceptance of what was about to happen and in part because there were no more tears his body could shed.

Shisui placed the kunai over his heart. "And when you die, come find me in the next life, okay? I want to hear a lot of badass shinobi stories since I won't be able to make any of my own."

"I promise, Shisui…" Itachi barely managed to get the words out.

With that, Shisui took a deep breath and stabbed himself in the heart. Unimaginable pain blossomed through his body, and he started losing control over his limbs, but he steeled himself and removed the kunai, before slitting his own throat to ensure that even on the off chance his body was recovered, he couldn't be saved. He allowed himself a small smile as he felt his body go numb and his spirit began the journey to the next life.

Unbeknownst to him, in his last moments, Itachi, having had to witness the death of his best friend, had awoken his own Mangekyo Sharingan, and the flames of Amaterasu spilled out of his eyes, covering Shisui's body and ensuring nothing would be left.

* * *

_Who… am I? Where am I? What… is this place?_

The young man walked around in an endless black void, unsure of his purpose in this place. What even was he? He felt he had some kind of memories, and they seemed like sad ones, but he couldn't understand why he had them, or who they belonged to. The man did not even have knowledge of his name.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, dressed in flowing, elegant white and gold robes. A staff and a book were in the figure's hands, and light silver hair fell to his mid-back. The man had soft eyes and lips, a pointed nose, and a smooth jawline. A smile crested his lips as he landed in front of the young man.

The figure, what seemed to be a man, spoke. "Hello, young, valiant hero. I am known as the Eternal One. Do you have a name?"

The young man pondered for a few moments before shaking his head. "I… might have had one at some point, before I ended up here, but I can't recall it."

The Eternal One nodded. "Hmm... that is very peculiar, indeed. You have found yourself in the Void Garden, a realm of endless black that only the most honorable heroes are allowed to enter upon death."

"So I'm dead then? I… guess that explains why I can't remember anything…" The young man concluded.

"Yes. In this realm, I allot the heroes whose spirits arrive here a choice. Either you may pass on to the afterlife, the Gardens of Eternity, to reunite with those loved ones you may have lost, or, for those who have not, an opportunity of rebirth."

"Rebirth?"

The Eternal One nodded. "Yes, young hero. Since you've not lost any loved ones in your recent memory, I will allow you a selection of one hundred thirty-four realms to choose from. In each realm, I have constructed a specific scenario for the young heroes. If you pass the trials laid before you in the realm you choose, you may come back here upon your next rest and choose whether or not to have the memories of your previous life, and a specific ability or form you once had, restored. However, these trials are not easy, and many fail to complete them.

"However, I will not put pressure on you to decide, or to undertake the trials of whatever realm you decide to enter. The trials are entirely optional, and by my grand design, you will be unaware of their presence nor your own participation once you enter. If you do successfully complete the trials, though, your memory of this conversation will be restored."

The young man nodded, and began looking at the basic information of each world. After what seemed like an endless silence, he pointed to a world with verdant life and civilization called Earth.

The Eternal One nodded, and pressed an invisible button, and a list of forms, with basic attributes and a graphic of each, was displayed. "Now that you have selected the world you wish to journey to, you may pick from this list of forms that the world is capable of supporting."

Unlike the choice of what world he'd wanted, the young man was immediately drawn to a picture of a majestic white bird with white feathers, and whose wingtips were graded black. It wasn't just those, however; the young man was drawn, most of all, to the piercing golden eyes that were the bird's lens to the world.

The Eternal One noticed this and selected the form. "Be careful, young hero; the form you have chosen has been extinct on that world for many centuries. Now, before I send you off to your new life, I must impart two things. First, when you arrive on that world, like all heroes who pass through this realm, you will receive a special ability that allows you to perform unique actions to enrich your journey. I do not know what you will receive, nor will you; that is something you must discover on your own."

"Now, the second piece I impart unto you is a placeholder until you discover your true name, the one you were granted in your first life. Until your identity is unearthed, you are henceforth known as Nanashi (Nameless). Now go, young hero, into your new life. SHI… HEIG… KUUR… MORT… YOUS!"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this first chapter of **_**Flightless Macaw, Nameless Raven**_**! More to come soon, though I don't know how soon, heh.**


	2. 1: A New Beginning

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

**May 15, 1996 7:43 AM**

Nanashi tried to look around at the metal moving object, what he'd heard called a truck, through the small peepholes of the wooden box he and a blue Spix's macaw, the younger brother of one of his lost friends, had been unreservedly shoved into. He pondered what he was going to do with the terrified chick who sat on the other side of the box from him. The little chick had been shivering, likely in fear, since they had been shoved into this new metal box, on the way to who-knew-where. The chick was in its infancy, only two and a half months old. Then again, Nanashi was only three and a half years old himself, not even a teenager by avian standards, so he wasn't far off the mark either.

Nanashi began to let his mind wander, and it eventually guided him to recall the day where everything went wrong.

* * *

_**March 6, 1996 9:55 AM**_

_Nanashi stretched his wings as he looked outside his perch on one of the tall Brazil nut trees in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he called home. There was a very lively feel about the wild jungle this morning, and Nanashi could feel it in his chest. And for good reason too; Rio's Carvanal party was set to begin tonight, and Nanashi was finally confident enough in his endurance and strength to attend the celebration himself!_

_He wasn't the only one excited either; the entire jungle was alive in what he lovingly referred to as heartsong. He typically didn't participate himself, instead preferring to take in the sight, sounds, and scents. After all, it was how he'd learned to fly; by taking in the atmosphere around him and allowing his heart to take over, the natural avian instinct had finally kicked in._

_He smiled as he watched the others dance and fly and sing, a beautiful song of unity and celebration that had nearly brought him to tears many a time. He decided to fly out of the nest he called home and enjoy the atmosphere before the gigantic flock of avians headed for the city._

_As Nanashi flew, he landed on a perch next to the tree where one of his best friends and his brother in all but blood, Roberto, lived. Himself, Roberto, and Roberto's friend Jewel had done some crazy things in the three and a half years since Nanashi's appearance in the middle of an abandoned nest in the fall of '93. Roberto had told him a couple weeks ago that he was going to become a big brother, and Nanashi was very happy for his friend._

_In fact, if Nanashi remembered correctly, the young one was supposed to have hatched two days ago, but he'd been running an errand for his mentor Rafael in the city proper and had only got back last night, having practically dropped in sleep the second he landed in his nest._

_He turned his beak to the nest Roberto lived in and saw a lone blue Spix's macaw, likely Roberto's younger brother, enjoying the atmosphere as the heartsong approached its crescendo, standing on the edge and preparing to jump off in the crucial moment that meant he was going to learn how to fly. Peculiarly, though, Roberto wasn't around, and his parents had disappeared two weeks ago, right after laying the egg. Nanashi idly wondered where Roberto was, leaning back on his perch as he watched the young chick take the leap of faith that all avian infants underwent at some point._

_Right as he was about to, and the music came to an end, something horrible happened. Large nets and cages started descending from all over the jungle, and many of Nanashi's companions became trapped._

_Alarm bells rang in Nanashi's head as he watched many of his friends and companions now trapped, unable to escape, being dragged off to who-knew-where. He looked over to Roberto's nest and found that his brother was gone._

What?! Where did he go?! _Nanashi was mentally freaking out, but he just managed to hear a squawk that no doubt came from a baby, and looked toward to the ground to find the young chick had fallen into the foliage on the jungle floor. Nanashi took off and landed on the ground, making sure to check to see if he was alright, but no sooner had he done that than a cage descended upon him and the young chick, trapping them as well. Nanashi resigned himself to whatever his new fate was, but since the chick's family had somehow disappeared, he resolved to take care of the chick in their place, to raise him the way he knew Roberto's parents would have wanted._

* * *

Suddenly, the truck they were being hauled in hit a massive bump in the road, and the box that Nanashi and the chick were in was thrown clear out of the now-open back hatch. Almost instantly, Nanashi felt the bitter cold of an environment he'd never been in, and he moved to the other side of the box to keep the young chick warm.

A couple minutes after they'd been thrown clear of the truck they'd been pushed in, he heard footsteps that could only belong to a human. He cautiously narrowed his eyes at the top of the box as it opened, and a young girl, not older than pre-teen age, stared at him from the outside. She had short, straight red hair, and from what Nanashi could see, was wearing a pair of blue earmuffs and a heavy sweater.

The young girl reached for him, but he pushed himself as close to the corner of the box as he could, not entirely trusting of this human after what humans had done to him already. "Hey, what's wrong, little birdie?" The girl asked softly, looking confused and hurt at Nanashi's move.

Nanashi briefly considered his situation, before letting the young girl see the young chick he'd tasked himself with protecting. _Even if I'm not entirely trusting of humans after what happened, I have to give them a chance. Not just for my own well-being, but to make sure Roberto's younger brother lives and has a happy life._

The girl gasped in shock, slowly reaching in to see the young chick, who was shivering in a mix of fear and chill, making himself as comfortable with the confines of Nanashi's wing as he could. Nanashi looked at him, and directed his gaze to the young chick, and slowly nodded with a warm smile on his face. The blue Spix's macaw took this as a sign that things were at least better than they had been, and slowly stepped out, allowing the young girl to pick him up.

He whimpered in fear, but the young girl managed to surprisingly calm him down by petting the feathers on the top of his head, and the macaw cooed in contentment as Nanashi flew up and silently landed on the young girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay. I'll take care of you guys."

That day, Nanashi's entire life changed.

* * *

**May 17, 2005 11:47 PM**

Nanashi flew down from his perch in Linda's room, looking around at the many knick-knacks she owned, from the various instruments she used to help her take care of himself and Blu to the various books she loved to read and collect, to a seashell Blu had somehow found in the middle of the floor at Linda's middle school one day when Linda had taken him there for show-and-tell day, to the pictures of Blu and Linda after winning first prize in said school's eighth-grade spelling bee.

He stretched his wings to get a bit of feeling back into them and watched through the second-story window of the house the three of them now lived in. If he remembered correctly, Linda had taken Blu to try and "be social" and had allowed him to tag along to her prom. A weird choice, but Nanashi's life the last nine years had been filled with those, so he was used to it.

As he landed on the desk where Linda's computer, an old Dell she'd saved up for from helping her parents at the bakery they owned, sat, he heard the unmistakable sound of Linda's car door shutting, and a couple minutes later, Linda walked through the door, Blu perched on her shoulder like he almost always was. "Oh, hey, Nanashi. I figured you'd be asleep by now. You been alright in here?"

"I've been alright, Linda, thank you for asking. How was your prom?" Nanashi let a genuine smile cross his face as Blu hopped down from her shoulder as she went into the walk-in to change out of her prom dress, a blue and black strapless gown with quite the extravagant frills and lace near the waistline, shaped to look like overlapped flowers.

Only a few months after the two had been rescued by Linda as a kid, Nanashi discovered something very shocking about himself: while all avians could naturally understand and use human language amongst each other, Nanashi had a unique body and voice box that allowed him to actually _communicate_ with other species not his own. As a result, he'd been the subject of many research papers, TV interviews, and public appearances, among other things.

But even through it all, he preferred to stick beside Linda and Blu. Linda had raised him like a mother for the last nine years, and in turn, he'd helped her raise Blu, so he was perfectly content staying here in Moose Lake, Minnesota. None of the family was keen on travel, anyway.

"I think it went pretty well, all things considered. You know, aside from the obvious fact I didn't have anyone to go with." Linda responded as she came out of her walk-in in her favorite white and yellow striped pajamas.

Blu squawked in indignance. "What, was I not enough companionship for you?"

Nanashi narrowed his eyes. "Little brother, you know she did not mean it like that. You and I, despite being different species, are some of the best friends she could ask for."

Blu sighed, resting his head on the keyboard of the currently inactive computer. "I know, Big Bro, but I wish she wasn't so hung up on that kind of thing, you know?"

Nanashi moved over to where Blu was resting his head and draped a wing across his smaller body. "Yes, Blu, I know, but there's nothing to can do about that. I know you don't like hearing it, but you'll understand it eventually. Now, why don't we all get some sleep? We've been up for the last eighteen hours."

At that last part, Nanashi shot a half-hearted glare at Linda, who blanched and raised her hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, in my defense, I didn't know the tailor still had anything in stock. I was fully prepared to drive all the way to Duluth!" Nanashi maintained his glare, raising his eyebrow. After a moment, Linda caved. "Okay, fine! I wouldn't have been comfortable with it at all! Happy?"

Nanashi nodded shortly and flew into his cage, while Blu climbed into his own and Linda collapsed onto her bed, turning the lampshade next to the bed off. "Good night, Blu, Nanashi."

"Good night, Linda, Blu."

"Good night, Linda. Good night, Big Bro."


	3. 2: A Shocking Revelation

**Chapter 2: A Shocking Revelation**

**February 6, 2011 3:41 PM**

Blu and Nanashi munched on a small plate of cookies and a cup of hot chocolate as Linda talked with her mother on the phone about a visit to her parents' new home out-of-state, in Cleveland, Ohio. "But even if I _did_ come up there, who would take care of Blu and Nanashi?" A pause. "No, Mom, they don't make kennels for birds. I wouldn't want to put them into a cage they're not comfortable with, anyway." Another pause. "Okay, sorry, Mom. I'll talk to you again soon. Of course. Bye."

Linda hung up the phone, walking to the front of the bookstore where the 'Yes, We're Open!' sign hund proudly for all to see. "You guys enjoying your hot chocolate and cookies?"

Blu nodded, too engrossed in his October to March ritual of counting every one of the six marshmallows in the cup of hot chocolate. Nanashi laughed. "Yes, we're fine. Thanks again for this."

"Of course!" Linda scratched Nanashi by the feathers under his beak, and he clicked it in contentment.

Suddenly, Blu was startled by a snowball hitting the glass of the bookstore. Blu gently tilted the cup of hot coca back to its proper position and glared outside to the two large black-and-white birds perched on the bench outside in the cold, preparing to throw another snowball. "Oh, it's you. What do you two want?" Nanashi raised his eyebrow in more than a slight amount of irritation at the two birds' antics.

"Just wanted to check out the famous bird and his weak lackey as always." Nanashi was normally a calm bird, as most members of the raven clan were, but _that_ got on his nerves. He started growling, a sound that was more likely to come out of the mouth of a dog or wolf. "Migrated to the breakfast nook again, I see?"

"Linda, can you open the door, please? Bob and James over there have ruffled my feathers for the last time." Nanashi called out to Linda.

Linda got up and opened the door for Nanashi. "Here you go, Nanashi. Now, don't be too rough, okay?"

"Unfortunately, rough is exactly what I'm going to have to be to get the message to these two featherbrains not to mess with me or Blu."

Meanwhile, Blu shot back at the birds' statement, a triumphant grin on his face. "Doesn't matter, because you can't hit me at all. See, I'm protected by this magical forcefield… called _glass_? Ever heard of it?"

Nanashi sighed, flying over to the bench and putting on a burst of speed to make sure the two idiots didn't try to escape. Bob and James didn't even notice Nanashi land behind them, a benefit of his mostly white feathers.

Nanashi gently tapped both birds on their spine, and the two turned around, eyebrows raised, only to eat a faceful of wing. The two birds stumbled back, both holding a wing to their slightly bruised beaks. "What was that for, brick-hugger?!"

"For not getting it through your thick skulls that none of us want your stupid time-wasting attempts at bad jokes and bullying. I'm sick of your attitudes, and when you mess with Blu, you mess with me, so I'm going to tell you this now: you had best scamper off to the nest you came from, _now_. And if I catch you hanging around here, trying to torment my little brother again, I'm going to rip off your tailfeathers and shove them so far up your asses, you won't be able to sit, walk, or fly straight for a week, _got it_?" Nanashi briefly heard Linda gasp in shock for his usage of a curse word, but right now, he couldn't care less. These two birds had ruffled his feathers for the last time.

The two quickly nodded their heads and ran off to the other side of town down Main Street. Nanashi sighed, flying back into the bookstore as Linda closed the door, and landed next to Blu. "Nice job, little brother. You took that like a champ and fired right back, just like I showed you."

Blu chuckled. "Thanks, Big Bro. And thanks for dealing with them, too. Hopefully, that'll get rid of them for good."

"Yes, hopefully." Unfortunately, pesky featherbrains were the least of their problems, as they watched a man with a very tan complexion approach the same bench, only with a different set of birds, making noises and strange postures that Nanashi could only assume were a feeble attempt at conveying human mannerisms into the avian language.

The birds were quickly scared off with squawks of indignation, and the man, who Nanashi could tell was not used to the weather of north-central Minnesota, slipped on the snow and ended up catching himself on the back of the bench in a very awkward angle.

He spotted Nanashi and Blu and quickly approached the window, making the same gestures and noises, until he ate a faceful of glass and slid down into the snow and dirt.

Linda opened the door and looked to the man, who was now getting up, and letting him in. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?"

"Oh, y-yes." The man rubbed his hands and shoulders in a mostly vain attempt to stave off the cold. "I'm sorry… I'm just not built for this kind of weather."

Linda chuckled, casting a side glance at Nanashi and Blu to make sure they weren't _too_ freaked out. "Well, would you like to check out a book or three?"

"Oh no, no, no, no. I have come six thousand miles looking for _them_," the man said, gesturing to Blu and Nanashi.

Nanashi blew a little air out of his beak in frustration. _Why am I not surprised?_

* * *

"I am Dr. Tulio Monteiro, and I'm an ornithologist," the man, Tulio, said as he showed Linda a card that read the same. "I came here because your blue Spix's macaw is the last male of his species. We've recently found a female, so now we can bring the two together to save his species!" Tulio remarked, explaining his reason for the sudden appearance.

Linda's face lit up, both in surprise and realization. The female must be somewhere close by! "Well, that's great! When can she come over?"

"Oh, no, she is not here. Blu must come to Rio de Janeiro!" Nanashi's entire body froze and he snapped his gaze to Tulio.

_He has to be kidding. There's no way Linda would make a six-thousand-mile journey to the other side of the planet, even for something as imperative as this! But even if she would… Rio… my old home. Would I be able to see my friends again? I've missed them so much, I've always held out hope they survived the smugglers. But is it worth the risk?_ Nanashi stood still, what felt like an eternity passing in less than the blink of a human eye, before he made his decision. _Yes, we need this. Not just me, but Linda and Blu too. We can save a species, I might have a chance to see my friends, and Linda can finally go out and see a big city like she wanted to do in middle school. Besides, Carnaval is less than a month away, and I can't pass up the opportunity to visit it, not after my first intended trip was cut so tragically short._

Linda's jaw nearly dropped. "Oh-hoh-hoh no, we can't come to Rio. We… we have a routine here, something we're used to. We can't just drop everything to go to Rio. We're not even that big on travel. Heck, Blu… can't even fly."

Nanashi flew over to Linda and nudged his beak against her face to provide a little comfort, and Linda smiled and scratched his head in return.

Tulio got up. 'What? Of _course_ he can fly! He's a perfect specimen!" Tulio picked up a now very agitated Blu, who struggled to get out of Tulio's grip.

"Wait, what are you doing?!"

Tulio prepared to throw Blu across the room. "Don't worry, their natural instincts always take over." He threw Blu, and was the _only_ one in the room surprised when Blu squawked in panic, before landing beak-first on the hardwood floor. "Heh… well, _almost_ always."

An unspoken line had just been crossed, and Linda got up and started pushing Tulio out the door of the bookstore. "Okay, look, it was nice and fun having you barge in and _squawk_ around and throw my bird, but now it's time for you to leave."

Tulio, now slightly panicked, apologized. "Wait, Linda! I'm sorry, okay? But this is the only chance we have!" He didn't get any more out before the door was shut in his face. He sighed, before kneeling down and peeking in through the door's mail slot. "Please, Linda. If we don't do this, his whole species… wil be _gone!_" He slipped his business card back in and let it fall to the ground. "Please… just consider it?"

Linda sighed as she watched Tulio walk away. "Alright, guys, I'm going to go make some dinner, okay?"

Nanashi numbly nodded, still in shock over the fact that a chance to return to his home was being presented on a silver platter. Blu nodded as well, unsure what to think about this new development.

* * *

The next morning, Blu, Nanashi, and Linda were sitting on the ground under the overhang that was the entrance to Linda's room on the second floor of the bookstore. Linda sighed as she looked at the two birds she'd raised for the last fifteen years. "And what do you think about this, Nanashi?"

Nanashi cleared his throat. "I think we should go. While I do agree that this Tulio guy w=could have handled his introduction much, _much_ better, he does make a point. Blu and this female are potentially the last two blue macaws this planet will ever have, and if we don't do something, we'll be at least partially responsible for the eventual extinction of an entire species.

"Even setting aside the implications of that and what it would do to our consciences, I won't allow myself to be selfish and say we should stay here. Blu has to at least meet another member of his species and see what life for them is like. Besides, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go myself. You still remember the story I told you about how Rio was my old home?"

"Of course I remember, Nanashi. I couldn't ever forget something like that." Linda said in a comforting tone.

"Well, this is the one and probably _only_ chance I'll have to return to my old home in a long time, probably for the rest of my life. I can't pass this opportunity up, especially if I have the chance of reuniting with my old mentor, Rafael. I may have lost all the friends I used to have, but I know he'll at least still be around. He wasn't in the jungle the day the smugglers came. Not only that, but maybe if we go to Rio, Blu will finally learn how to fly."

Blu turned his head in Nanashi's direction. "Big bro, are you sure?"

"Maybe not one hundred percent, but it's certainly possible. You remember the story I told you about the day the smugglers came?"

Blu nodded somberly. "Yeah, big bro. I remember. You said I might have post-traumatic stress disorder, right?"

Nanashi nodded, just as serious. "Yes. You probably don't remember since you were only two days old, but I was on a branch right next to the nest your older brother lived in. You were getting ready to make that jump that would have awakened your natural instinct when the smugglers attacked. The shock of such a disaster more than likely caused you to unintentionally suppress your instincts, and that sensation of falling without being able to have control of it is probably why you can't make that jump."

Blu nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right,big bro. But Rio de Janeiro? We won't even be on the same _continent_."

"Hey, I showed you how to deal with those pesky bullies, right? Surely we can cope with a brief change of scenery."

Blu nodded hesitantly. After a moment, he nodded more confidently. "Yeah, you're right, big bro. We can do this."

"That's my little brother." Nanashi turned back to Linda. "It's been decided. We're heading to Brazil!"

Linda smiled and nodded. "Alright. In that case, why don't you two go read a book or something, maybe study up on where we're headed? I have to make a couple calls and start packing for the trip."

Blu and Nanashi nodded, getting up and letting Linda start preparing for their trip to Rio de Janeiro.


	4. 3: Rio de Janeiro

**Chapter 3: Rio de Janeiro**

**February 26, 2011 8:15 AM**

Nanashi ruffled Blu's feathers, trying to wake him up. "Come on, you stubborn macaw, it's time to get up."

Blu groaned and slowly opened his eyes to see his big brother staring down at him from the top of his cage. He yawned and stretched his feet. "Oh, morning, big bro."

"Come on, Blu. It's time to start getting ready to leave."

Blu's eyes shot open in realization, and all traces of tiredness immediately left the building. "Oh, that's right, the flight's today, right?!"

"In less than two hours. Come on, we need to eat and then get ready to go. Linda's already got breakfast on the table."

Blue chirped in happiness. "Great! In that case, let's eat and hit the road!" He moved to the sink to get his specially-made toothpaste and toothbrush to start his morning routine.

Nanashi chuckled. "You know, I've never seen you so excited, even when you started studying vector calculus thinking it would help you learn to fly. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've wanted a change of pace for a while now."

Blu chuckled as he swallowed the water in his mouth, cleaning his beak off. "Yeah, if you'd asked me that a month ago, I'd have probably laughed, but after the talk you and Linda gave me, I've been thinking about it, and I realized that this trip can only be a good thing, right? And it'll be good for all of us, not just me. So why not dive in headfirst?"

Nanashi actually laughed this time, a smile on his face. "Now _there's_ the spirit I've been looking for! Come on, we should hurry."

Blu nodded, rinsing his toothbrush and putting it in the drying cup. "Yeah, you're right; let's go!"

Linda greeted the two warmly, scratching under their chins as they came down the stairs, Nanashi flying and Blu gliding down the smooth, spiral handrail. "Good morning, you two! Did you sleep good?" Nanashi nodded and Blu gave a thumbs-up. Of course, Linda noticed Blu's excitement, just as Nanashi had. 'Ooh, look who's excited, aren't we!"

Nanashi chuckled as Blu got a bit of not-necessarily-warranted attention. "So, when do we leave?"

"Now, actually. As soon as you guys finish eating, the Uber is outside, waiting for us. It's a thirty minute drive to Duluth's airport, and then we have to get all our affairs in order before we board the plane."

Nanashi nodded. 'Good thing I already came down and ate breakfast. Hurry up now, Blu."

"Right, big bro!"

* * *

"The total will be forty-three dollars, sixteen cents." Linda gave the Uber driver her debit card, and he carefully inserted it into the chip reader on the bottom of the GPS. After a few moments, the GPS beeped to confirm the payment had been accepted, and the receipt printed out of what was once a CD player. The man tore the receipt off and gave it to Linda as she got Blu and Nanashi out of the car. "Thank you for riding with Uber, we'll be happy to service you again in the near future."

"The pleasure was mine. Thank you." Linda thanked the driver before he rolled up his window and drove off.

Linda drew in a short breath and turned to face the airport, Blu in his cage with her and Nanashi perched on her shoulder, using his wings to help her hold the paperwork.

As the two approached the entrance, a security guard stopped them. "Papers, please. And I need authorization that says you're allowed to bring that large bird in without a cage."

Nanashi shuffled through the papers he held in his wings and stuck out the two papers the guard was looking for. He read the first. "Alright, you'll be by Gate 44A." He read the second, then his eyes went wide as saucers. "Wait, you're the talking white raven Nanashi? That explains why you don't have a cage. Tulio warned us you and your group would be boarding a flight today."

The guard gave the papers back to Nanashi. "Thank you, mister security guard."

The guard chuckled as he looked at Nanashi. "Of course. And for the record, it's been an honor to meet the first ever talking bird."

Nanashi rolled his eyes. "We all talk, hell, we even use the same languages you humans do. The only reason you can't normally understand us is because our voices don't resonate on the same frequency." Nanashi then allowed a small smile to grace his features. "But thank you for the praise, I appreciate it."

"Of course, mister Nanashi. You have a nice day, ma'am."

Linda smiled. "Thank you, and you have a nice day too."

Linda smiled at Nanashi as they started walking toward their gate. "Still a bit annoyed by the praise, I see."

Nanashi chuckled. "Yes. I mean, I do appreciate the praise, but I've made appearances in twenty-six TV interviews about how avians like us live, all of them having been national or worldwide broadcast. You'd figure the rest of the world would be used to me by now. Heck, the last one was last month, before this whole Rio thing happened."

Linda and Blu laughed. "Well, that's not _un_true. But hey, I know you'll get through it. You managed to convince Blu to make this trip, so I know you can live through it."

"Yeah, you've got this, big bro."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

As they made it to the gate, only thirty minutes before the flight was due to leave the runway, they caught Tulio jogging toward them, luggage already in hand. "Linda! And Nanashi! Have you had a good morning so far?" He noticed Blu in his cage and knelt down to scratch his neck through the bars of the cage. "And a good morning to you too, Blu!"

Blu leant into Tulio's touch, enjoying the attention. "I'm doing good, well, so far, anyways. We had a bit of an awkward encounter with a security guard at the airport who recognized Nanashi." Linda chuckled, scratching Nanashi's head.

Nanashi chuckled himself. "It happens sometimes, can't always avoid it. Besides, it's at least good that some people recognize I'm not a dumb idiot. That would bring along a whole host of problems all its own."

Tulio chuckled as he checked his papers and made sure Linda's were accurate and not dated. "You're not wrong; it could certainly be worse than it is right now. Anyway, I managed to convince the flight staff that you and Blu will be fine boarding the flight directly, though it took a lot of work. So make sure you don't do anything crazy on the flight, okay?"

Blu nodded. "Not a problem here."

Nanashi nodded as well. "I see no issue. Blu also says we'll be fine."

Tulio nodded. "Good to hear."

Right as Tulio finished checking the papers and handed them back to Linda, the loudspeaker crackled to life. "_Flight 1202 from Duluth International to Rio de Janeiro Intercontinental is now boarding, and will board until twenty minutes from now. All passengers boarding Flight 1202, please make your way to Gate 44A."_ As the message from flight control finished, the loudspeaker died out.

Tulio grabbed what little luggage he'd brought with him to the United States and started walking to 1202, the plane having just landed and its boarding area docking with one of the many long, mobile, metal staircases that were scattered around the airport runway. Linda followed him carrying Blu, Nanashi flying slowly after them.

As the staircase connected to the now open boarding door, Tulio approached its bottom and the security guard standing next to it. "Papers, please." Tulio and Linda handed over their papers, passports, and Nanashi and Blu's commercial authorization, which the guard checked, before nodding and handing the papers back to them. "Coach is right after first-class and before economy. Restrooms are in the back next to eh economy curtain. Make sure you lock the door once you go in if you have to relieve yourself, and always bring your possessions in with you to minimize the risk of them being stolen. Have a safe flight, and thank you for flying Southwest Airlines."

Nanashi, Tulio, and Linda nodded as they made their way onto the plane. Luckily, they had been the first passengers on, having been lucky enough to get to the gate just in time for the announcement, but a stream of people rushing to get on were already behind them.

"Come, come, let's hurry on. Don't want to keep the other fliers waiting," Tulio remarked, quickly finding the coach area and making himself comfortable in his reserved seat, Linda doing the same, setting Blu's cage in the seat next to theirs that hadn't been bought for this specific purpose.

"So about how long is it going to take us to get to Rio?" Linda asked as Nanashi flew off his perch on her shoulder and landed gently on top of Blu's cage.

"About two days. We'll have two layovers, one in Mexico City that's an hour and a half, and one in La Paz, Bolivia that's four hours. Each flight is about nine hours in between, so we should be there around… tomorrow night, the next morning at the absolute latest. We won't need to sleep on this flight, but make sure you get some rest on the second leg, otherwise you'll be a walking zombie when we get to Rio."

Nanashi chuckled at the mental imagery Tulio's statement had brought on, then turned his gaze to Blu, who was curiously observing the other passengers as they got on the plane. "How you holding up down there, Blu?"

Blu looked at Nanashi, realizing he was staring at him, then chuckled. "I think I'm doing pretty good so far. Definitely going to take some getting used to being in a cage I can't unlock on my own because of how it's set up, but it's nothing I can't adjust to."

"Good on you, Blu." Nanashi extended his wingtip into the cage bars, and Blu bumped it gently with his beak. "Well, I'll talk with Linda and Tulio and see if we can't get you out of there so you can enjoy the view we're going to have once the plane really gets going. Did you know these planes fly higher than all but the most ancient birds ever have?"

Blu's eyes practically _sparkled_ at this piece of trivia. "Really?! I never knew that! How high, exactly?"

"I believe anywhere from three to four and a half miles high."

"Holy crap, _that high_?! That's unreal!" Blu was now _very_ excited. Under other circumstances, Blu would have been terrified out of his mind thanks to what had happened to him as a baby, but he'd made sure to read up everything he could about planes to make sure they were safe, and he'd cross-referenced the information from what Linda had previously told him, and he'd come to the conclusion that flying on planes was, in fact, safe.

"Yep, but don't get your talons in a twist, we've still got about twenty or thirty minutes before the plane even takes off. There are procedures that have to be followed for these things to ensure everyone's safety, so we've a decent bit until we take off. I'm honestly looking forward to the view myself, because I've never flown more than a hundred or so feet in the air before; it hasn't really ever been necessary."

Blu chuckled. "Hey, don't worry, I have patience. Remember I had to sit with Linda when she did that spelling bee in middle school. Wish I could have helped her, though, because she almost lost first prize."

Nanashi nodded sagely. "That, she did. But I think your companionship and your presence there were more than enough to help her along."

"Hey, what are our little birdies talking about?" Linda called quietly to Nanashi and Blu.

"Not much, just discussing how amazing the view out of the window is going to be once the plane really gets going. Only the birds of the planet's prehistorical times have flown as high as we're going to be at the crest of our journey."

Tulio put a finger to his chin in thought. "You know, you're right, Nanashi. I never actually considered that us humans, creatures who were birthed chained to the earth, have gone farther than even the freest of species the planet has ever raised, simply through our own intelligence and determination."

"_Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking. It's time for our pre-flight checks and safety routine, Observe and follow the instructions on the tablets built in to the seats in front of you or around you, which should be appearing… now."_

* * *

**February 28, 10:33 AM**

"_Thank you all for flying Southwest Airlines, and have a nice day. Please check in to the baggage line once you enter the airport to make sure you've retrieved your belongings, and enjoy your visit to Rio de Janeiro."_

"Can you believe it, Nanashi, Blu? We're actually in Rio de Janeiro!" Linda excitedly said to her two avian friends as the three of them and Tulio departed 1202, on their way to the baggage claims area to retrieve their things before departing for the aviary Tulio was in charge of.

"Wow, that view was simply _stunning_, wasn't it, Blu?" Nanashi asked Blu.

Blu nearly screeched in joy. "Are you kidding?! That view was the best thing I've ever _seen_!"

Nanashi chuckled at Blu's enthusiasm. "Now you see why the avian species are born fliers? There's no better feeling than being adrift in the air, suspended away from the ground like on a string, drifting along the most direct path you'll ever take, and feeling the wind beneath your wings. It's what all flight-capable avian species thrive and live for. Hopefully while we're here in Rio, we can teach you how to fly."

Blu sighed in contentment as Linda and Tulio grabbed their items from the claims. "Yeah, it would be amazing. I really hope so, too, though if what you've told me is anything to consider, I'll be in for a rough ride."

"You will, so I hope you're prepared. The reason most birds learn how to fly at such young ages is because as our brains evolve, the natural instinct that all avians possess is slowly silenced and overtaken by logic, reason and emotion. The longer a bird takes to learn flight, the harder it becomes to tap into that natural instinct. While it can be influenced by other circumstances, such as your PTSD, it is the main factor. It's also why some birds, once they get old enough that they begin losing their strength, cannot fly. Not only do they no longer have that natural instinct, they're physically too weak to fly, otherwise their slowly deteriorating bones would break."

Blu nodded. "That does make sense. I've actually seen other birds who can't fly before, back when we were in Minnesota, and they _did_ look pretty old."

"Exactly. Luckily, you're about the age of a fresh adult bird, so even though it's been mostly assimilated by your higher function, your natural instinct is still dormant, waiting to be tapped into. We just have to unlock it, and then you'll be flying like you've always wanted to."

They had been so engrossed in their conversation, they hadn't noticed that Blu's cage was being loaded into a Jeep that seemed to belong to Tulio. Soon enough, they were on the way to the aviary.


	5. 4: Last of the Species

**Chapter 4: Last of the Species**

"So, as you can see, Rio de Janeiro is a very popular tourist destination, possibly one of the most popular in the world," Tulio finished telling Linda about Rio's various attractions as they pulled up to a three-way stop intersection.

In the back of the Jeep, Blu and Nanashi stared out at the massive beach that seemed to be almost overcrowded with other humans, be they tourist or resident, doing all sorts of activities. Nanashi chuckled. "Rio is certainly huge, isn't it?"

Blu snapped out of his awe-induced trance when he registered Nanashi's words. "Yeah… I mean, you're certainly not wrong. But I can't help but wonder what all these activities these people are doing are."

"Well, they're probably things that they can do down here on the Brazilian coast because of the country's climate. Keep in mind our climate back in Minnesota is much harsher and colder, so many of the things we do over there wouldn't exactly translate to the climate down here, and vice versa."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for clearing that up, big bro." Blu thanked his brother for the wise words.

"No problem."

As the Jeep continued inching toward the center of the intersection, two birds who Nanashi had seen out of the corner of his vision approached the two of them. They spoke to each other for a brief moment in a language that neither Nanashi nor Blu could understand, then looked at the two of them.

Blu fumbled around, trying to read his pocket guide to Portuguese, only for it to drop onto the bed of the Jeep. He threw preparation to the wind, hoping the two birds would understand him. "I… am… not… from… here."

The two birds' eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, look at that, Nico, we've got ourselves a tourist!"

The yellow bird, Nico, who Nanashi had just figured out was a canary and who had a bottlecap from an old soda as a hat, nodded ecstatically. "Hmm… Funny, he doesn't look like one," Nico said in confusion.

"Wait, what do you mean I don't look like one?" Blu asked.

Before Nico or the cardinal could answer, Nanashi leaned his head back down a little so Blu could see him. "Blu, you need to remember that your species originated here in South America, specifically the Amazon rainforest. They said you don't look like one because you honestly don't."

Blu sheepishly nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"And what's your name, stranger? I ain't ever seen a bird like you before," the cardinal asked Nanashi.

"Well, my name is Nanashi, and I'm the last and only white raven that's existed on Earth for quite some time."

"Well, it's nice to meet ya, fellow! Name's Pedro, and I'm the Samba Master of Rio!" The cardinal, now identified as Pedro, introduced himself.

"So, might I ask what two gentlemen like you are doing here in Rio if you're from out of town?" Nico asked.

"Well, we're from Moose Lake, Minnesota, up in the U.S. in North America. The reasons I came down here are to finally experience Carnaval because I didn't get to as a chick and to look out for my little brother here," Nanashi said, gesturing with his wing to Blu.

"And I'm Blu. Nanashi is my big bro, and the reason I came down is… well, to meet a girl."

Pedro grinned. "Nice, nice. So why are ya in that cage, man? You wanna go see that girl, right?"

"Because he-"

"Well, don't worry, I'm gonna pop that cage open like a soda can!" Before Nanashi could finish answering, Pedro rammed himself into the stainless steel bars of the cage Blu was currently in. "Damn, this thing's ro_bust_!"

"Wait, it's fine! Seriously, love the cage. Love the cage," Blu said quickly as he used his wing to caress the steel bars, getting a snort of amusement out of Nanashi in the process.

"Well, aight, suit yourself, man. But let me tell ya something: when you go for the girl, ya gotta puff out your chest; eyes narrow, like some kinda crazy love-hawk! Aww-aaahhh!"

"Thanks for the advice! Blu waved as best he could at the two departing birds as the truck started moving properly.

Another stop later, many people started dancing and making their way across the intersection from the beach side of the city. Linda was a bit weirded out by all the activity. "So, what's with all the people on the streets? And the dancing?"

"Oh, they are preparing for Carnaval."

"And what's that?"

"It's the biggest party in the world!"

Linda observed a dark-skinned older woman completely dressed in sparkling golden attire dancing across the intersection, and she pointed her out to Tulio. "Is she one of the performers?"

Tulio looked closer, before a spark of recognition entered his eyes. "No. In fact, that's my dentist!" Tulio hoked the Jeep's horn twice, then stood up so he could be clearly seen. "Dr. Barboza!"

The now-identified Dr. Barboza turned in Tulio and Linda;s direction, and recognized Tulio. "Oh, hello, Tulio! Don't forget to floss!" She laughed as she danced across the rest of the intersection.

"You got it!" Tulio enthusiastically replied, not that she would have heard him, before sitting back down in the Jeep. "Come tomorrow, everyone will be dressed like that."

Linda chuckled and cringed at the same time. "Ohoho, not me."

* * *

"And this is the heart of our aviary: our state-of-the-art medical facility." Tulio closed the door behind him as the group entered. He pointed to the many birds of different species around the room, being tended to by several avian handlers and caretakers. "All the birds we rescue come here first. They're brought in after being rescued from smugglers, loggers, and a lot of other things. Many don't survive the trip here." Tulio approached a white cockatoo whose feathers were very disheveled, and who looked to have burn marks on his wings. "This is Nigel. We just brought him in last night. How are you, Nigel? Feeling better?"

Nigel looked to be vulnerable, but Nanashi could instantly tell something else was going on when he saw Nigel narrow his eyes at Blu, managing to intimidate the macaw in the process. _I don't like that one. Something's fishy about him._

"Now, I'll have to say be careful. Jewel is a very… spirited bird."

One of the caretakers turned around, showing multiple claw marks all over his face, to the point part of it was even a little swollen. "_I'll say!_"

Blu whimpered in fear. "Wait, she… did- that? Okay, I wanna go home now. Someone take me home!"

Tulio, unable to understand Blu's cries of fear, gazed into the cage with a soft look on his face, and a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't worry about it, Blu. I'm going to make sure you look completely _irresistible!_"

As they went into the next room, Nanashi had a stray thought about the namedrop of the female macaw. _Jewel… Hmm, do I recognize that name? I could swear I know it from somewhere…_

* * *

_Hmm… not sure I like the way that handler just shoved us in here. Pretty sure one of my tailfeathers is bent now. Now I have to preen. Idiots don't even know how to properly handle a raven._ Nanashi mused to himself, straightening a bent tailfeather as Blu turned around to the metal plate that had just been placed over the entrance, panicking to the point he started banging on the metal.

"I wanna go home! Don't leave me in here! Help! Someone please _help!_"

Nanashi slapped Blu upside the head with his wing. "_Calm down_, Blu. I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you. Remember, we're here to save your species. Have a little more faith in yourself and in me."

Blu shook his head, using his wings to straighten out his feathers after the ridiculous 'makeover' Tulio had given him. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know though, it just doesn't feel like it's going to be that easy."

"Come on. Even if it isn't, there's no time like now. Remember, yesterday is history, and tomorrow…"

"…is a mystery, but today is a gift; that is why it's called the present." Blu sighed, trying to get his flared emotions under control. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, big bro. Let's do this."

The two walked on a branch overhanging a small stream in the artificial jungle they'd found themselves in, moving toward the center. As they moved closer to the center, Nanashi admired the crafty workmanship of the artificial jungle around them. It wasn't far off from the actual jungle, so he had to give whoever built this and imported the plants a lot of credit.

As he finished, the lights on the ceiling kicked on, likely having been turned on by the panel Nanashi had seen before being put in here. As they did, and the two birds arrived in what seemed to be the center of the artificial jungle, another bird descended from a small tree that hung over them. Bathed in the glow provided by the ceiling lights, she actually looked like an angel come down from Heaven.

Nanashi definitely thought this, and was impressed with the circumstances that had to happen to cause this exact shot, idly thinking a photographer would make a decent two hundred bucks off this kind of photo, but across from him, Blu was completely smitten. Nanashi had seen that look before, without a doubt. The one humans called _love at first sight_, that phenomenon had just struck his little brother, and if his expression was any indication, it hit _hard_.

Something else also hit hard while these thoughts ran through Nanashi's head, and that was the bird itself, another blue Spix's macaw, likely the female. She rammed Blu straight to the ground, stepping on his throat, and asked a question in the same Portuguese language that Nico and Pedro had briefly used, something that Nanashi couldn't understand. Blu, trying to respond, only succeeded in letting out choked sounds.

"Que?" The female asked Blu, her eyes still narrowed at the macaw.

"You're… standing… on my throat."

The macaw immediately let her grip go, and Nanashi silently chuckled. "Oh, you're an American?"

Nanashi's eyes went wide; he _recognized_ that voice. _No… it can't be, can it?_

"J-J-Jewel… is that really you…?"

The macaw's eyes went wide, and her entire body froze in shock. He could _see_ the recognition in her eyes as she turned to him. Tears sprung to her eyes as she realized _who_ was standing across from her. "Nanashi!"

Jewel didn't hesitate for a moment, and she flew right into Nanashi's wings, already crying in a mix of sadness and joy. "I can't believe… I can't believe it's you! I thought… I thought all my friends were gone!"

Nanashi rubbed his wing across her shivering back, as Blu looked on, stunned at this turn of events. "Shh, shh. I'm really happy to see you, Jewel, but what happened?"

Jewel's beak quivered briefly, before she shakily sighed. "L-loggers… the came and… they destroyed everything…"

Nanashi's eyes went wide in horror. "N… no… so our friends… they're… gone?" Nanashi wasn't far off from crying himself. Other than Jewel, he'd come here for _nothing_? His friends were all gone?

Jewel nodded as another tear fell from her face and onto the damp soil. "Yeah… I… I never thought I'd see any of you guys again… but here you are…" Jewel dried her tears, still shaking, and separated herself from Nanashi, allowing him to stand on his own feet again. "How are you here, though? Where have you been for the last fifteen years?"

"Smugglers. Right after one of the jungle heartsongs. They came out of nowhere and ruined everything. Every single one of us got captured. I don't know where the rest of our avian friends are."

Nanashi led Jewel to Blu, who had started to shake off his shock. "This is Blu. He's one of the ones that got trapped with me. I'm lucky we didn't get separated. I've been looking out for him since that day. We ended up in the United States, up in North America. One of the kindest humans I've ever met in my life helped raise us, and fifteen years later, we find out another macaw, who is apparently you, is still alive, and here we are."

Jewel. "Well, I'm glad to have you back. I thought I lost all of our friends." Then she registered what Nanashi had said regarding humans. "Wait, you guys were _pets_?"

"I prefer to call it companions," Blu pointedly shot back, looking a little bit indignant.

Nanashi could see where this was headed, and _fast_. He needed to salvage this before it got too bad. "Wait, Jewel-"

"No, I don't know why you would trust a _human!_"

Blu was already on the ball with his own less than ideal response. "Well, that human has given me love and affection for the last fifteen years, whereas my own kind tried to _strangle_ me after fifteen _seconds_!"

_Damn it, Blu. Not the time and not the place._ In any other circumstance, Nanashi would have been proud of his little brother for standing up for himself, but this was the worst _possible_ place to do it.

"Well, they took _everything_ away from me! You can't trust them!" Jewel shot back, an unhealthy amount of vitriol entering her voice.

"That's it, both of you cut it out, now!" Nanashi hated playing peacekeeper, but now, it was necessary. This situation had to be salvaged, _quick_, otherwise nothing would be accomplished. Luckily, nothing needed to be done. Jewel managed to forget her anger at Blu and directed the two near the top of the tree, and once they reached their destination, they found a malformed steel grate that Jewel had likely been trying to pry open in an effort to escape.

Unfortunately, Nanashi didn't notice Blu doing the one thing that would get them in even deeper shit. Blu paced himself as he balanced on the tree branch. "Alright, narrow eyes, love-hawk. Let's do this."

Blu immediately invaded Jewel's personal space, trying to use the 'lessons' Pedro had taught him, brief though they may have been, and went in to kiss her.

Jewel turned around upon feeling a body on her back, thinking it might have been Nanashi, but finding Blu trying to go in for a kiss. She pushed him off. "W-w-whoa whoa whoa, what do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, I was… trying to do whatever you were doing. But for argument's sake, what were you doing?"

Anger entered Jewel's eyes. "I'm trying to _escape_. God… did-did you think we were gonna _kiss_? We just _met!_"

Nanashi stared, wide-eyed, at the situation unfolding in front of him. _Dammit, Blu, you just dug yourself into a _deep_ hole. Have fun getting out of this._ Right then and there, he decided Blu needed to learn some social decorum and vowed to himself he would not intervene when it came to interaction between Blu and Jewel specifically.

"What? N-no! Of course not!"

"Oh my god, you _were_!" Jewel started chasing Blu around, and the two quickly ended up on the ground floor, Blu trying everything he could to keep Jewel away from him, even resorting to shake the well-hidden cameras in the jungle around to get help, screaming as Jewel hunted him down. All the while, a Lionel Richie song had started playing in the background. _If this was Tulio's doing, I'm going to claw his eyes out the next time I see him._

Later, after the two macaws had finally settled down, Nanashi was cleaning his feet in the small stream, while Blu tried sleeping through the constant ruckus that was Jewel's attempts at escape. Eventually, the banging of rock against steel grated against Blu's nerves, and he unfurled the leaf around him, looking up at Jewel. "Do you mind? I'm trying to _sleep_!"

Jewel barely spared Blu a second glance as she kept feverishly working to bend the steel enough to fit her slim body through. "Aww, I'm sowwy, sweepy-head. I'm trying to _escape_!"

"Why would you want to escape here? This is a nice, cozy, comfortable cage."

Jewel was halfway to retorting before she scoffed. "I shouldn't be surprised that's what a _pet_ thinks." She kept working, but eventually, the sounds suddenly stopped.

Nanashi unfurled his wings and took off toward the ceiling, finding an opening he could squeeze his body through to hide himself. He watched as a younger man dragged an erratically moving burlap sack toward the artificial jungle's entrance. Soon after, he watched in horror as the same person came back and kidnapped Blu amid the macaw's protests.

_I have to save them!_ He got ready to take off, but some of his feathers had caught onto the grooves in the crevice he'd found. "No, you have to be kidding! Come! Off! Please!"

Desperately, as he watched the kid cross the doorway, he ripped his body out of the crevice, dislodging and ripping several feathers out in the process, cursing to himself as he flew toward the door as fast as he could. Right as he was about to make it, though, the door closed and locked.

"No! Blu! Jewel!" Nanashi screamed, now trapped inside what had previously been a sort of sanctuary, now an obstacle he could not overcome.


	6. 5: Erratic Escape

**Chapter 5: Erratic Escape**

Blu and Jewel woke up to find themwelves being carried in a cramped, covered cage, such that very little light was able to get through. Blu groaned, moving to straighten his tailfeathers, quite a few of which had been jostled by his recent kidnapping. He turned to Jewel, who was checking her wingfeathers. "A-are you alright, Jewel?"

Jewel barely stopped to pay him any mind. "I'm _fine._" She stopped for a moment. "Maybe. I'm not sure."

Right as this meager excuse of a conversation finished. Jewel heard the voices of some people she didn't particularly like. She motioned to Blu silently. "Play dead!"

Blu looked offended. "What? I don't need to play dead, because I'm about to have a heart attack!"

Jewel looked at him pointedly, not interested in wasting time. "Just _do it._"

Blu groaned again. "Fine." Jewel put herself on the cage floor with her legs sticking up, bsrely even breathing save for short, messured breaths to make sure their capturers didn't figure out she was still alive.

Unfortunately, Blu had to go and make a big deal out of it. He gasped dramatically, as if reciting the end of a tragic romance play, then pretended to choke on something, almost slamming himself on the cage floor and twitching his lower body for added effect.

Jewel did her best to silently glare at Blu. "Stop twitching!"

"But it's the twitching that sells it!"

"_Blu!"_

Blu sighed and stopped twitching.

A short while later, the two were brought into an abandoned storage shed, and the two voices that Jewel had been hearing were now almost on top of them.

"I have the birds."

"Good job, kid! See, boys, what did I tell you about this one?"

"That you were gonna pay him half as much as you said?"

A slapping noise echoed through the shed. "No, you idiot, he's resorceful, dependable. He reminds me of myself when I was that age. Here you go, kid."

A pause. "Hey, this _is_ only half as much as you promised me."

"Shut up, kid." Another pause, and the cover on their cage was lifted. The man's eyebrows hiked up in anger. "What the-?" He opened the cage and picked Jewel up out of it, showing what he thought was a desd body to the teenage kid. "I said bring them back _alive._ Does this _look_ alive to you?"

"What? But I swear I-"

The kid didn't grt the chance to finish as Jewel dropped the act and bit the man holding her in his hand, causing him to let go of her with a curse.

"Hrrggg-! After that bird!" The man all but shouted as his lackeys tried to get Jewel back into the cage, but she was too nimble. At one point, she even caused the man's two lackeys to run headfirst into each other simply by flying between them.

She saw a dysfunctional air vent and took her chance, but she wasn't able to get the freedom she longed for. Nigel, the cockatoo from the day before, had been lying in wait in case the macaws tried escaping, and he lunged out, tackling her into the small rafter next to the vent. "Hello, pretty birdie."

Jewel struggled to get out, but she eventually gave up. Nigel's grip was simply too strong. He flew around and roughly tossed her back into the cage, the man placing a locking chain on the two macaws to keep them from trying to escape.

"Jewel! Are you alright?" Blu asked.

Jew shook off the momentary dizziness that came from Nigel's rough handling. "I think I'm fine. Wait, why didn't you try to escape with me?"

Blu was suddenly very nervous; this wasn't something that had been brought up before. "Uhh... I..."

Before Blu had a chance to finish getting the words out, the two were picked up by their cage and taken to a back room that had all manner of smaller avian species. Many of them laid on their cage floors in silent, reluctant acceptance of their new fate, but many were shouting and cursing indignantly. It seemed some had even been driven slightly mad.

The kid from earlier hung the cage on a lone hook near the center of the room. "Sorry, guys. Nothing personal." Blu and Jewel silently tried to plead with him with their eyes to let them go, but the boy didn't. He looked back at them for a short time before closing the door behind him.

Jewel cursed as Blu sat down reluctantly, thinking over what happened over the last couple hours. Somehow, whoever these people were, they had to have been pretty skilled to have been able to evade Nanashi and manage to capture them.

Blu started reminiscing over his home in Minnesota, and thinking how it wasn't such a good idea to have come to Rio after all. "Oh, I wish I was home right now. How I miss my cage, with my nice perch and my little swing. Oh, how I miss my swing!"

Jewel glared at Blu, before sighing, having to consider Nanashi's words from earlier in the evening. "Look, I understand you might be fine with living in a cage, but I don't want to belong to _anyone_.

Blu sighed to himself. _This really isn't going well at all. Awkward first encounter with Jewel, getting chased around and now we're trapped; hell, we're literally chained together!_ A little bit of levity caused him to chuckle to himself, having remembered a specific phrase from a dumb video Linda had watched in history class in middle school.

Blu was knocked out of his thoughts, both figuratively and quite literally, by Jewel slamming her entire body into the side of the cage to get it to swing. "Come... on!"

"Whoa, what are you doing, Jewel?"

Jewel barely stole a glance in Blu's direction as she rammed herself into the other side of the cage, trying to build up the momentum to swing the cage to the far wall. 'I'm trying to escape! Maybe you could help me out, huh?"

"But all the survival guides I've read have told me that all we have to do is wait, and help will come!"

Jewel very nearly growled at Blu. "_No one_ is coming! Now are you going to help me or what?!"

Blu sighed, deciding it couldn't hurt, and started doing the same thing as Jewel, generating enough momentum for them to quickly swing to the large, open window on the far side of the wall, but Jewel didn't know how to get out of the cage.

Blu noticed this and looked for the door, finding a lock on it that he was intimately familiar with because it was used on many of the cages he'd lived in for the past fifteen years: a standard flip-slide-bolt.

Jewel started panicking, worrying she wouldn't be able to escape, before Blu came up to the door and quickly unlocked it, pushing it open with his wing. "After you."

"Wait, how did you open it?"

Blu scoffed. "_Please_, it's just a standard flip-slide-bolt."

Jewel took the opportunity to fly out of the cage, but Blu didn't realize those were her intentions until he was already being clumsily dragged through the air. Almost on instinct, he grabbed the bar of the window with his beak and held on for dear life.

Jewel looked back to find out what had just impeded her progress to freedom, only to find Blu holding onto the window bar for dear life. "What are you doing?"

"I... I can't... I cant..." Blu couldn't easily get the words out, not to mention the fact he was trying to hold onto a bar to keep from falling to his likely death.

Jewel groaned. "You can't? You can't _what_?"

Blu really wanted to go back into the cage and keep things simple, but alas, things were not always that easy. Nigel came crashing through the door, looking as if he'd just lost a fight with a grizzly bear, and he spotted the two macaws still trying to escape.

Blu panicked and momentarily forgot of his disability, letting go of the bar to get away from Nigel and dragging Jewel to the ground as he fell. "I can't... _fly!_"

Both macaws screamed in fear as they fell toward the ground, but their death was halted by the chain linking them together catching on a diagonal clothesline.

Their imminent doom momentarily forgotten, Jewel glared at Blu as she tried using her wings to regain some semblance of balance. "You couldn't _tell me that _before now?!"

"It didn't _matter_ before now!"

The two macaws managed to get off the clothesline as Nigel and the man's two lackeys gave chase. One of the lackeys momentarily stopped to watch the final soccer game before Carnaval tomorrow, but was dragged along by the ear, muttering disdainful curses at his other partner.

Now forced onto the street, Jewel was definitely no longer in her comfort zone, but Blu came to the rescue. He saw the uncertain look on Jewel's face and his own desire to prove his worth took over. "Alright, look, you might know flying, but I know _walking_. Follow my lead. Inside leg, outside leg!"

With Blu's help, the two managed to keep a steady pace, weaving through the heavy foot traffic of the back alley they'd found themselves. _Huh... I guess he isn't all bad. He might not know a lot of things, but he is good at what he does know,_ Jewel thought in appreciation as they ran. Her eyes narrowed a moment later. _That still won't save me laying into him for not telling me he can't fly earlier though._

"Inside, outside, inside, outside!"

As the two ran, and the two lackeys started quickly catching up to them, Blu and Jewel ducked under a storage box that contained some local and imported fruit, and Blu noticed a cat in their path. He mimicked a dog's back, his voice easily carrying over to the cat, whose instinct took over. The cat jumped over Blu and Jewel, who it didn't even register, and it viciously attacked the lackeys behind them, thinking they were the cause of the startling noise.

Jewel's eyebrows hiked in surprise. _Where did that come from?! I didn't know birds could mimic the sounds of other kingdoms!_

She cast a questioning glance to Blu as they ran, who chuckled nervously. "I'm bilingual?" His answer was more of a question than a statement, because Blu himself wasn't sure if such an insufficient answer would be enough to satisfy Jewel.

Jewel rolled her eyes as they kept running, but they were forced to duck into a branching alleyway to avoid Nigel's sudden, spirited lunge. They ended up crashing into a barrel and rolling down a hill, bouncing through a house filled with people watching the soccer game that was currently on TV, and ended up bouncing onto the metal grates, dislodging one of them and turning it into their newest ride.

Nigel was slowly catching up, and didn't have far to go, but the timely appearance of Nanashi saved the night. "Turn left!" his voice shouted, and Blu and Jewel's surprised faces turned to the white raven as he streaked through the sky at nearly eighty miles per hour, set on a collision course with Nigel.

Blu didn't hesitate to follow his big brother's instructions, and used what wing power he had to turn the grate to the left and redirect its momentum. Meanwhile, Nanashi slammed into Nigel, who hadn't been able to get out of the way in time, and disengaged, flying up just in time to miss Rio's main transformer. Nigel was not lucky enough to, however, and slammed into it with the force of a speeding bicycle, destroying it, knocking out the power to most of Rio amid indignant noises of all kinds, and electrocuting him badly in the process.

Eventually, the metal plate stopped its erratic motion, and Blu and Jewel steadied themselves, Blu having to hold in his dinner from the rather bumpy ride. Jewel chuckled despite herself, her adrenaline having gotten going from the wild chase they had just wrapped up.

"Well, that was _fun_... if a little out of nowhere." Jewel wiped her wing across her forehead, checking for any moisture and finding none.

Blu checked his wings to see if the feathers had been dislodged from the tight grip he'd had on the metal plate, and the two jumped up onto a flatbed truck bound for the south side of Rio, near the jungle. "Yeah, but we wouldn't have had to do that if we had paid attention when we were still in the artificial jungle."

Jewel's eyes shrank a little and she nodded, silent for a moment but for the shuffling of her feet. "Yeah, I guess you're right. And then Nanashi had to come save our tails like he just did. We probably could have been a little more careful."

"Yeah. I hope Big Bro isn't mad at us for not paying attention, especially not me. I've been in a less-than-ideal position ever since the two of us and Linda came to Rio, one that I'd prefer not to stress over. But Big Bro showed me it'd be better to come here than stay in Minnesota, and I don't really want to let him down."

They hopped off the flatbed and onto the ground, moving their way through some light foliage. "Just how close are the two of you, anyway? I remember when we were young, Nanashi was always one of the rowdy ones. He'd constantly get himself into trouble with the many birds here in the jungle."

"I don't know if he told you why we're so close, but I also don't want to tell you when it's his privilege. He's the one who deserves to; after all, you guys have been separated from each other and, if I've heard correctly, the entire jungle flock for the last fifteen years."

_Wow, I didn't know he could be so mature about this kind of thing! He and Nanashi must be really close._ In that moment, Jewel began to see Blu in a new light. Here stood the last male macaw of her species, and she wasn't an idiot; she'd known _exactly_ why the Doc had brought Blu to Rio, but in this moment, she found herself starting to respect Blu and admire him as a friend. He was exactly like many of the macaws of the old flock were, and in a way, he seemed to represent their species as a whole.

However, her newfound respect for Blu dipped a _little bit_ when he broke a stick under his foot, and he followed with a response of "What was that?"

Jewel imperceptibly shook her head. _Dammit, Blu._ "A stick."

Blu then nudged against the rough grain of a rock. "And that?"

"That was a rock."

A moment later, Jewel found herself wanting to slap Blu upside the head. "Oh-ho, is that a spider?!"

"Oh, turn around, you big baby. It's probably just a leaf." Blu turned around, and she was shocked to find a tarantula was actually climbing around on his back. She quickly and nervously slapped the spider off of his back with her wing, and chuckled awkwardly with an uncertain smile on her face, though Blu didn't pick up on it. "Leaf. See? Told you."

Nanashi landed on the ground next to them, ruffling his feathers and shaking himself off. "Well, Nigel doesn't seem to like his new home. You could say it was an _electrifying_ experience."

Jewel groaned. "Really, Nanashi? _Really?_"

Nanashi grinned. "Yes, really. After that whole debacle, we could certainly use a bit of levity."

Jewel just rolled her eyes. A moment later, as they searched for a place to rest their heads, Jewel turned to Nanashi. "Hey, Nanashi, what was Blu talking about when he said there was something you should tell me regarding your relationship with him?"

Nanashi's eyes hiked up in surprise. _Well, not like I didn't expect it to be brought up, I just thought it would have been before now._ He cleared his throat. "Alright then. Jewel, you might want to sit down."

Jewel did so, leaning against a large rock they'd just stumbled across. "So what is this information, and why didn't Blu want to tell be?"

"I'm going to be straight with you, Jewel. You've barely known Blu for sixteen hours. You wouldn't have believed him if he told you."

Jewel's eyes narrowed in concern. "So you're telling me this is something that is so important that I wouldn't be able to believe anyone other than someone I trust?"

Nanashi nodded shortly. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Now, as for why we're so close. I've taken care of him the last fifteen years. The day the smugglers attacked, he was trying to learn to fly. It had been just two days since he'd hatched; Robbie told me himself."

Jewel's eyes widened. _Wait... no... he can't be serious. Blu... Blu is Roberto's long-lost brother?_

Jewel looked rapidly from Blu to Nanashi and back. "I... is that true?"

"It is. I wish you didn't have to find that out from me, I would have preferred it if Roberto told you himself, but right now we only have each other. We can't blindly hold out hope that they're alive, because we almost didn't make it out alive ourselves." He walked over to Jewel and wrapped her gently in his wings. "I'm sorry, Jewel."

Jewel didn't offer a response, now crying against Nanashi's wings. Nanashi gently and cautiously motioned Blu over, and the macaw managed to silently drift over to him and Jewel. He grabbed his wing and let it overlap his own, then slowly, _painfully_ slowly removed his wing from Jewel, allowing Blu to comfort her.

Jewel knew what Nanashi had done in some corner of her mind, but distraught enough was she that she couldn't find herself caring. Despite the fact it was now Blu comforting her as opposed to her current best friend, she leaned into Blu's wing as he held her against his chest in the best way he knew how.

This continued on for another minute, Nanashi watching their surroundings vigilantly to make sure Nigel didn't come back, before Jewel leaned out of the embrace, drying her tears. "Thank you, you guys. I'm feeling a little tired now, so maybe we could find a place to set up shop for the night."

Nanashi nodded. "Exactly my train of thought. Blu and I haven't adapted to Rio's timezone yet, but we both know you'll need your sleep."

"Well, if it isn't much trouble, I'd prefer it if I could sleep in something... _manmade_."

Jewel rolled her eyes at Blu. "Okay, fine, we'll do it your way. You see anything?"

Blu looked around for a moment, before spotting what looked like an avian observatory. "Actually, I do, over there."

After a couple minutes, they stood at the base of the observatory, Nanashi and Blu drinking in its appearance with an appraising eye. Jewel sighed in resignation. "I can't believe I have to drag your clumsy butt up there."

Blu scoffed, as if insulted, which he honestly almost was. "Drag me? Watch and learn."

Nanashi immediately knew where this was going. After being unable to fly for fifteen years, Blu had basically become the best walking bird this side of the planet, and that also extended to his climbing abilities, which Blu had no problem showcasing amidst Jewel's surprised moans and protests.

Nanashi chuckled as Blu stopped, hanging upside down from one of the beams as he stared at Jewel, the smirk on his face battling to be one of satisfaction or confidence. "Who's dragging who's butt now, huh?"

Jewel leisurely rested her head on her wings from her new position on one of the wooden beams. "Ha ha, very funny."

A short few seconds later, the three avians were perched under the walkway of the observatory, Jewel getting ready for some much-needed sleep after the crazy night she'd had. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep, so try and keep it down, you guys."

"Good night, Jewel," both Nanashi and Blu responded at the same time.

"Well, since both of our body clocks are still running on Minnesota time, why don't we keep watch for a couple hours and then hit the sack ourselves?" Blu quietly asked Nanashi, who simply nodded.


	7. 6: Mentor and Student

**Chapter 6: Mentor and Student**

Nanashi stretched his wings as he rose to meet the challenges of the day, Jewel preening her wings next to him and Blu groggily trying to wake up without his normal routine. Nanashi chuckled at the sight of Blu being frazzled enough that he barely even registered Jewel's presence, though he still noticed Nanashi standing across from him.

"Morning, sleepy head. Have a good night's rest?" he asked Blu.

Blu did his best to get some feeling into the wing he'd accidentally slept on. "All things considered, not a very bad sleep at all. I don't exactly like the fact I slept on my wing, but shit happens." Nanashi nearly chuckled. Over the last few years, Blu had developed an infamous verbal tic of sometimes letting out curses he wouldn't otherwise use in his normal speech right after he woke up, especially in unorthodox situations such as this one.

Jewel, on the other hand, wasn't used to such profanity coming out of the macaw she'd just met yesterday. She stared at Blu, slack-jawed, as he finished stretching his wing out to get the feeling back in it. He turned to her and noticed her dumbfounded expression. "What? Is something on my beak?"

"Blu, your verbal tic."

"Oh, dammit. Why can't I get rid of that?"

Nanashi couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped his beak this time. Without fail, every time he had pointed out the Blu had let slip his verbal tic, the macaw would inevitably let slip a second one immediately after.

"Alright, the main goal for today is getting this chain off the two of you. Let's gets down from here and find a way to get that chain broken."

Nanashi was surprised to find himself on the other end of an uncertain gaze from Jewel, but it didn't look like she even knew she was betraying her thoughts. He mentally chalked a point on the tally for Blu.

As they got down, they noticed a monkey hiding in the bushes near them, a camera well in hand. _This is very peculiar. I know monkeys are quite intelligent creatures, but I've never seen one walk around with a camera in hand before._ Nanashi was distracted from his thoughts by a series of camera flashes, while the monkey stared Blu and Jewel dead center.

Nanashi's eyes widened, and he could feel the anger bubbling up, threatening to spill over his carefully constructed shell of calm confidence. _We've been ambushed!_

Luckily for him, Blu had seen the flashes and quickly put two and two together to get four. Right as a dart filled with a likely conspicuous liquid shot out of the bushes and headed for Jewel, Blu used his wings and tackled her away, shielding her and taking the dart himself. He quickly fell to the ground, unconscious, and Jewel, shocked and surprised that Blu would go so far for a bird he'd met less than a day ago, removed the dart.

Nanashi _took off_, smashing into the monkey who had the camera. "Listen here, you primate idiot. You have _ten seconds_ to run for your life and be out of my sight, and take your friends with you, _**before I give you a colonoscopy with your camera.**_ Understood?!"

Even though the monkey quickly nodded its head in the affirmative, the confirmation wouldn't have been needed, as the other animals the monkey had contracted ran for the hills themselves after seeing Nanashi's speed, recognizing a lost cause when they saw it.

Nanashi cursed himself, helping Jewel carry Blu's motionless form into a set of bushes. Jewel couldn't understand why Blu would do something like this, especially with the way she'd treated him in the last eighteen hours.

Eventually, Jewel couldn't stand letting her thoughts fester anymore, and she turned to Nanashi. "Why? Why would Blu do something like this for me, after the crappy way I've treated him?"

Nanashi mentally chalked up another point for Blu, not missing the fact that Jewel had actually called him by name for the first time since they'd met. "I don't know how you don't see it, Jewel. Blu is an intelligent bird and he realizes that whatever may have been in that dart could have put you in a very bad way.

"But more importantly, not only are you two both the same species, you're the _last of your species_," Nanashi pointed out, stressing the final phrase. "There's a bond of avian kinship there that most species don't have. He realizes the importance of both of you living as long as you can, even if it _is_ to save the species, but my younger brother has always been a very empathic bird. He wears his heart on his sleeve because he believes it's the right thing to do. He can't stand when injustices happen around him and he could've done something to stop them.

"He more than likely knows that this was, under the circumstances, not a very logical thing to do, but he didn't care. He has put others before himself in the past, and right now, you're the most important bird he has right now, even more than me. But I think he is also feeling the pressure of his position. The future of your species practically teeters on a scale, waiting to fall in one direction or the other as a result of the choices he has to make. And I would very much love to help my younger brother, but as much as it pains me to say it, this is a trial he has to face on his own."

Jewel was shaken to her core. Instantly, her respect for Blu went up several notches. "So he doesn't care what happens with… us, or the species, he's just looking out for me because it's the right thing to do?"

"Yes. If there's one thing the many years of being exposed to the reality of the world living with a human hasn't taken from him, it's his strong sense of justice."

Jewel slowly stepped closer to Blu's motionless form, running a wing across his beak and back. _I… I'm the reason he's like this. I've gone to so much trouble to push him away because he was raised by a human, but the whole time, he's still stuck by me just because his heart tells him it's the best thing to do._

She hunkered down next to him, holding his head in her wings as she rested against the root of the bush the three birds hid behind. "Nanashi, can you keep watch for me? I… I want to take care of Blu until he wakes up."

Nanashi smiled. Despite the rough start the two macaws had, it seemed things were finally going in a positive direction, one that he didn't mind watching. "Of course, Jewel. Let me know when Blu wakes up. Once he does, we have to pay a visit to my old mentor from when I still lived here in the jungle."

Jewel cast an inquisitive gaze at Nanashi's backside. "And who would that be?"

"Old Man Rafi." Jewel's eyes went wide.

"Wait, you're telling me he's still alive? I thought that old bird died in the jungle with the rest of us!"

Nanashi shook his head. "No, Rafael was not in the jungle that tragic day. He was helping Luiz run some errands. This was right after the two of them met, so he still liked to travel a lot. Don't know if that's still the case now, but we'll see. That's how I know he's alive." He chuckled. "Hell, if I know Rafi, he's already either searching or waiting for me. I don't doubt for a second that the news of the talking raven has spread all over Rio ever since we got off the plane, and Rafi always did love his gossip from time to time." Nanashi cast a backwards glance at Jewel. "Oh, and don't let Rafi hear you call him old, otherwise he'll never let you hear the end of it. Only reason I call him old is because he talks like he was forty and I was his student before the smuggling, so he lets me get away with it. Even considers it a form of endearment."

Jewel nodded without saying anything, now fully focused on keeping watch over Blu.

* * *

Blu's eyes fluttered open as his liquid-addled mind tried to process what had happened. Once enough of his brain juices were flowing, though, he shot up. "Jewel, look out!"

Blu's sudden, startled awakening jostled Jewel out of the light nap she was taking, and she looked at the now very alert blue macaw under her wing. "Afternoon, sleepy head."

Blu absently waved at her. "Hi, Jewel." He suddenly scrambled back with his feet and wings. "Wait, Jewel! I-I-I didn't mean to!"

Nanashi chuckled, and Jewel rolled her eyes, a smile forming, unbidden, on her face. "Oh, shut up, you dolt. You saved me, so I at least had to make sure you weren't going to have a neck cramp when you woke up. It was the least I could do."

Blu hesitantly nodded. "Oh, okay then."

"Alright, now that Blu's awake, we're going to head over to Rafael's place. Or at least, what I _remember_ to be Rafael's place."

As they started to get going, Blu raised a good point. "Who's Rafael?"

* * *

Nanashi looked around with his keen eyes, in the tall Brazil nut trees that many of the avians of Rio called home. The trio had already passed a large rock that Nanashi recognized. Blu had had a crazy idea to attach a rope to said rock and haul it up one of the trees, then drop it on the chain that both Nanashi and Jewel vehemently shot down.

"Ah! There's his old rickety nest. Hey, Old Man Rafi!" Nanashi called up to the tree.

An old toucan with a large beak poked his head out of the nest. "Oi! Who just called me an old man down there?" Nanashi waved his wing, and Rafael's eyes widened. He quickly glided down to the ground and clasped wings to Nanashi. "My old student! I thought you were dead!"

Nanashi laughed. "Don't worry, Rafael, I've been getting that a lot lately. A couple idiot smugglers ain't gonna keep me down for long. So how's life been treating you since '96?"

Rafael chuckled. "Pretty good. I've got a nest of my own now. Kids, come down and say hi to Papa's old student!"

Nanashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you finally settled down?"

"Yeah. I couldn't continue jiujitsu forever, and it was starting to do damage to the wings, so I got out of the life. I still practice my forms every now and then, but I prefer to take care of the little ones." Rafael said as his seventeen children all flew down and landed around himself and Nanashi. "Seventeen wild little children and another one on the way. Kids, meet Nanashi, my old student."

"Hi there, mister Nanashi!" the kids chorused in high-pitched voices.

Jewel cooed at the greeting. "Aw, look at that, Blu. Aren't they just so cute?"

Blu stood for a moment in thought. "Yeah, I think they are."

"Alright, kids, head on back up to the nest. Papa's gotta have a serious talk."

"Aww, can't we watch, Papa?"

Rafael shot a questioning glance to Nanashi, who made a go-ahead gesture with his wing. "As long as they don't get too bothersome, I don't see an issue."

"Yay! Thanks, mister Nanashi!" the kids chorused again.

Nanashi smiled in appreciation. "Good job on raising them so far. They seem to have a healthy amount of respect for those around them."

Rafael chuckled. 'It does get pretty difficult sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. But other than the old days of training, you only ever came to the nest when there was something serious. So, what can this old bird do for you?"

Nanashi gestured to Blu and Jewel. "Rafael, I'd like you to meet my younger adoptive brother, Blu, and one of my best friends, Jewel."

Rafael waved his wing in greeting to the two, and they waved back. "So, are you two lovebirds here for Carnaval?"

Nanashi shook his head, palming his beak in his wing. "Too soon, Rafi. Too soon." Blu and Jewel were noticeably embarrassed and shocked that a bird they'd just met thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Jewel nearly stumbled. "Oh-ho no, we aren't lovebirds."

Blu looked around nervously, to Jewel and then to Rafael. "In fact, we're more like acquaintance birds."

Jewel nearly scoffed, looking pointedly at the chain and holding it up with her wing. "Not even that; we're more like… chained-to-each-other birds?"

Rafael chuckled and raised his wings in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. Anyway, if you're not here for Carnaval, what _are_ you here for?"

Nanashi took the chain out of Jewel's wing and let the two move closer to him so he could let Rafael examine it more closely. "We need to find a way to get this chain off. They had it put on when they were captured by a pair of smugglers right after Blu and I arrived in Rio. And I figured you might have, or at least _know_, a way to get it off. You've always been a very resourceful bird."

Rafael chuckled. "You're not wrong, my old student. And though I don't have anything to get this off myself, you know Rafael, and Rafael knows _everyone_!"

While they had talked about the chain, one of Rafael's kids had walked up to Nanashi and started snuggling into his chest. Nanashi chuckled and pet the little one's back, before his eyes went wide in pain and he fought his natural jiujitsu reflex when the kittle one _ripped_ one of his feathers off. "Ow! Ow! None of that now, child. Go back to your father."

Rafael sighed. "Hector, do you want me to call your mother?"

The little one, apparently named Hector, screeched and darted back up into the next Rafael lived in, with a loud, short "No!"

Rafael chuckled. "Works every time."

Another toucan walked behind Rafael, her wings crossed over her chest. "Call me for _what_?"

Rafael turned around. "Oh, my dear, sweet Eva. I have to take these two lovebirds to Luiz," Rafael explained, gesturing with a wing to Blu and Jewel."

"You don't fool me for a second. You just want to go with your friends to Carnaval. And who is this? You haven't introduced me yet."

Nanashi made a bowing motion with his wings. "I am Nanashi, miss Eva. Surely Rafael has told you about his old student."

Eva raised an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. "Rafarl, you never told me your student was such a gentleman! And handsome too, you must be popular with the ladies!"

Nanashi chuckled. "No, I don't really get out much. I live in the United States and I don't like travel all that much, so this trip back to my homeland is the first real travel I've ever done."

Eva chuckled. "Well, in that case, I'm sure you're going to have fun at Carnaval, aren't you?"

"I think I might. I'm still on the fence about whether to go or not because I was just old enough to go on my own before the smuggling operation back in '96, but the main reason I'm here is to help my little brother, Blu and one of my best friends, Jewel, get this chain off their ankles. And don't worry, I'll watch my teacher to make sure he doesn't sneak off. I know he can't fly faster than me anymore, anyway. These wings give me a _lot_ of thrust."

Eva briefly considered the offer, and decided to take it. The kids wouldn't manage themselves, anyway, and she'd love to go to Carnaval one last time, but there was always next year. And even though she wasn't too trusting of the type of folk Rafael typically hung around with, she knew Rafael was a bird of his word, and wouldn't go anywhere near the big celebration.

"Alright, but bring my husband back in one piece, okay?"

Nanashi chuckled. "Not a problem, miss Eva. I'll escort him back personally, if it makes you feel any better."

Eva nodded and took off to manage their children in the nest, and Nanashi turned around, walking in the direction of the city, the others behind him. Blu tried to turn around, not willing to have his own feathers ripped out by Hector or any of Rafael's children, but Rafael turned his head back in Nanashi's direction. "Oh no, no, no, don't look back. They sense fear."

"So, Rafael, how far to Luiz's place?" Nanashi asked as they made their way toward the lower part of the jungle.

"Not far at all. Thirty minutes as the crow flies."

Blu raised his eyebrow. "And how long as the macaw walks?"

Jewel chuckled. She knew Blu was being serious, but she couldn't help herself. She gestured to Blu with a wing. "Blu here can't fly."

Rafael nearly stopped in his tracks. "Wait, you can't fly, Blu?"

Nanashi coughed a bit. "I was there the day he tried to, right before the smugglers came. Most birds learn how to fly right out of their eggs, but right as Blu was about to make that leap, the smugglers ruined everything. Blu ended up falling right out of his nest, and he hasn't been able to fly since."

Rafael looked down, saddened. "That would do it. Well, come along. I have an idea."


	8. 7: Party of a Lifetime

**Chapter 7: Party of a Lifetime**

'I'll ask this once, Old Man Rafi… Have you gone _senile?!_"

"No, no. You said that his instinct was suppressed. This way, his body has no choice but to tap into that raw, primal energy."

"When we get Blu out of that chain, I'm taking you to a psych ward."

The four birds stood at the top of a half-kilometer high cliff, Rafael's plan involving something… _very_ unsavory and possibly lethal.

Blu turned to Rafael in shock. "Wait, _please_ don't tell me your plan was to tell me to jump off of this cliff!"

Rafael chuckled, throwing his wings up. "Actually, that was pretty much my entire plan."

Blu gulped in fear. _I'm going to die today. I did not think this is how it would end._

Nanashi sighed. "Fine, Old Man, this is crazy, but considering all the things I've tried in the past have failed, it can't hurt too much to do this." He turned to Blu and forced his brother to look at him. "Blu, look at me. Hey, _focus_." Blu gulped again as he looked at his brother, but the overwhelming amount of confidence pouring out of his eyes made Blu less afraid of the trial ahead. "Listen to me. We've done everything we possibly could to figure out how you can fly, and as much as neither of us like this idea, I believe in you. If something goes wrong or this fails, I'll fly down and catch the two of you, okay? Nothing's going to happen to you while I'm here."

Blu nodded, now surer of this otherwise insane attempt. "Alright. Thanks, big bro. I can do this."

Nanashi smiled. "There you go. Now, don't forget your breathing exercises. I'll be right here, ready to step in."

Blu knew that despite the insane stunt he was about to attempt, his brother had never steered him wrong before, and had done his absolute best to protect Blu throughout the fifteen years they'd been together. So he decided he'd swallow his fear and take this jump. If things worked out, he'd be able to fly. If they didn't, Nanashi would swoop in for the save. And Blu knew Nanashi was fast enough; they'd once gone to a competition, a sort of skill-based race, and between Nanashi's top speed of a hundred thirty kilometers per hour and his insanely sharp reflexes, he'd shut out the entire volley of racers and set the world record for fastest time on that course. That was around the time they'd discovered Nanashi could communicate with humans, but that was beside the point.

Blu turned to Rafael. "Do you have any advice before I do this?"

Rafael nodded seriously as he walked up to Blu. "Remember, flying is _not_ about what you think up here," he said, lifting a wing to touch the top of Blu's head, "it's about what you _feel_ in _here_," he finished, tapping Blu's chest. "When you feel the rhythm of the wind on your wings and in your heart, it's like samba." Rafael stepped off the cliff, and then shot back up. "And you _fly!_"

Rafael stayed in the air as Blu and Jewel prepared to jump. Jewel turned to Blu. "I hope you're ready to finally get in the air! I promise you it's going to be amazing."

Blu blew air out of his beak and nodded resolutely. "Right. I can do this."

Nanashi flew up into the air above Blu and Jewel. Before he joined Rafael, he called out to Blu one last time. "Remember, Blu. No head. Only your heart. When you feel your instincts take over, don't resist them. _Embrace them_. I'll see you on the other side, whatever happens."

Blu was still a little nervous, but Nanashi's final words of encouragement helped Blu to shake off what remained. He looked over to Jewel. "Alright, I'm ready whenever you are, Jewel."

"Good. I've been waiting for you. Let's go, on three! One… two… three!"

Jewel and Blu ran off the cliff and slowly fell through the sky, Jewel and Blu's interlocked wings helping keep them steady.

Nanashi's eyes slowly widened. He could practically _see_ the avian instincts begin to kick in, Jewel matching Blu's slowly rising right wing with her left one, an excited and proud smile on her face.

Suddenly, Nanashi noticed Blu's wings _twitch_, and the instinct fled faster than it had awakened. _Dammit, we were so close too!_

Blu had realized he'd failed the second he felt his wings start losing control, and he held in the urge to scream, dragging Jewel down with him, as Nanashi raced down to catch them.

However, it seemed like he didn't need to, as the two managed to safely land on a glider that was currently in use. He and Rafael flew down as Blu opened his eyes.

He was shocked to find himself flying, or at least he thought he was. He looked down and found himself on said glider, and he drew in and released a short breath to get his nerves back under lock and key.

Once he had finished that, however, he realized that in a sense, he actually _was_ flying. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at the landscape of Rio's jungle as it passed by around him. "Oh, wow… this… this is _incredible!_"

Jewel laughed joyously. "See, didn't I say so? This feeling of freedom, it's what birds practically _live_ for!"

Nanashi and Rafael smiled. At least they knew what to look for in Blu's particular case.

Blu, eyes still wide in amazement, turned to Jewel, who had closed her eyes and unfurled her wings to feel the wind on her feathers.

_Things must get worse before they can get better._

He tried to do the same, very slowly, but it could be debated whether he'd heard Nanashi's shout of protest and had simply ignored it or had not been able to hear it over the roaring winds. Regardless of one's answer to that question, the outcome was the same: Blu, unable to withstand the force of the air resistance, flew right off the glider and dragged Jewel with him.

"Ai caramba!" Rafael shouted as he went to chase them, Nanashi doing the same.

They crashed through another glider before Nanashi caught them, sighing in resignation. "Well, I can at least say you tried, Blu. But I _am_ very proud of you."

Blu shot a questioning glance to his brother as the three of them descended to the ground, landing in a flatbed truck carrying some fruits and vegetables. "But why are you proud? I still managed to screw this up."

"Because I could _see_ the instincts instilling themselves in you. We're closer to getting you to finally fly than we ever have been, and I think we just need something _unique _to finally get you in the air like a true avian. I don't know what that is, and I won't be able to know; it's something that's going to have to come from you. But we're now closer than ever before, and now that I've seen that you _do_ still have your instincts, I know we'll get you airborne yet."

Blu sighed, but still smiled. "Yeah. I'm actually pretty excited. I just wish I hadn't screwed that up. Sorry, Jewel."

For what Blu observed as the first time, Jewel _smiled_ at him. "Hey, it's fine. Nanashi's right, hopefully you don't have much longer to go before you actually can fly."

Blu smiled back, and Nanashi could almost _see_ a brief spark appear between the two of them. "Thanks, Jewel. That means a lot."

As the short conversation finished, the truck stopped at what appeared to be a farmers' market, and Blu and the gang jumped out and onto the ground. "Now, Luiz shouldn't be far from here, if I remember correctly. I haven't visited him in a couple months."

"Yo, Rafi, you looking for Luiz?" A familiar bird called out, and Nanashi and Blu turned to find Nico and Pedro flying in their direction.

"Nico! Pedro! It's good to see you!"

"Yeah, you too, man! God, you ain't been around in so long, we thought you was dead!" Pedro enthusiastically replied. He landed on the ground after he saw Blu out of the corner of his eye. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, _rewind_. Ain't this the bird from the cage and his raven buddy?"

"Nico, Pedro, nice to see you again." Nanashi warmly greeted the two as they landed in front of the group. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. Wait, is that a hot _wing!_ Damn, bird, you work _fast_." Pedro greeted himself before finally noticing Jewel. "Didya follow the advice I gave ya?"

Blu quickly threw up his wings. "Whoa, whoa, guys! It's not what you think!" He grabbed the chain and held the chain up. "We were literally chained together, see?"

Nico shrugged his wings. "Hey, not gonna hate on your method, you still did it."

Blu sighed and just gave up, amid Jewel and Nanashi's chuckles. Pedro turned back to Rafael. "So what can we do for ya, Rafi?"

"We need to get these two to Luiz." Rafael held the chain up for Pedro to see. "I figure he's got the tools to get this off."

"Oof, ya just missed him. He took the trolley back to his garage."

"Aw shoot. Well, any place we can wait until the trolley comes back this way?" Rafael asked Pedro.

"Don't worry, y'all. I gotcha covered! While we waiting on the trolley, it's time to take this party to the next level!"

Blu looked confused, not understanding the implied meaning behind Pedro's words. "Wait, what's wrong with this level?"

"This ain't the level, man, the _next_ level's the level!" Pedro boldly announced, crossing his wings. "Now follow along, we got one hell of a party to start!"

* * *

Blu looked on with wide eyes at the massive setup that had _somehow_ been concealed by a couple picnic blankets that seemed way too small and boxes that were positioned _just right_, against _all_ natural logic. "I feel like I underprepared for this."

Jewel looked at Blu with wide eyes. _He just read my mind_. "Honestly… same."

Nanashi chuckled as Nico and Pedro took what seemed to be the stage. A couple taps of the big microphone, and Nico had everyone's attention. "Alright, everybody, Rafael's brought a couple birds from out of town, so let's show them some love! Because I don't think they get out much."

Pedro jumped up from his improvised chair. "Ay-ay-ay-ay, aight, everybody, put your wings together, clap 'em as loud as you can! Flap 'em, clap 'em, I don't care, slap 'em! Aww-aahhhhh!"

Nico's smile right before the _real_ attraction kicked into high gear could have outshone the sun; he was in his _element_ and ready to rock. "Party in the Ipanema, baby!"

Blu's eyes and ears were assaulted by heavy bongos and contrasting red/blue spotlights at the same time, and he was already hooked. Jewel smiled as she looked around and gauged Blu's reaction, having already been used to this kind of environment from the days she still lived with the flock.

_**I wanna party! I wanna samba!  
I wanna party! I wanna samba!  
I wanna party, and live my life~  
I wanna party and fly!**_

"_**I wanna fly, fly just like a bird~**_" "_**But you are a bird!**_" Nico sang, taking off his top and gesturing to the 'sky' that was the open-air area of the party grounds, Pedro interrupting him to inject a bit of comedy into the song. Blu was already starting to get into the groove, never having heard music that hit so close to home before.

"_**Oh yeah, you're right, so let me fly just like a rocket then!**_" "_**Okay!**_" Nico jumped on one side of an improvised see-saw made from the smooth side of a broken piece of a four-by-four and a tin can, and Pedro jumped on the other side, launching Nico into the air and resulting in a wave of cheers from the various partygoers.

Nanashi was already dancing to the groove like many of the others had started doing. _I haven't heard a heartsong in almost fifteen years. This is definitely the way to get back into the swing of Rio life._

"_**Fly so high where I need to come down for oxygen~**_" "_**Hey!**_" Nico folded his wings behind his head, as if taking a leisurely flight through the city streets, before he hit the crest of his jump and fell, grabbing his bottlecap-hat and landing on the ground smoothly with a flourish.

"'_**Cause once we start it, baby, ain't no, ain't no stopping it!**_" "_**Hey!**_" Blu's avian instincts started reacting to the heartsong, and he began unconsciously tapping his right leg to the rhythm of the song. He looked down at his foot, wondering why it was moving on its own, but decided to let it continue, going with the groove as a genuine smile overtook his face entirely.

"'_**Cause I just wanna live my life and party!**_" "_**Hey!**_" Nico slid down a ramp made of old two-by-four planks and onto the lower of the two stages that had been set up, and Pedro slid expertly in from the right until the two were standing side-by-side. Meanwhile, Blu wasn't the only one reacting to the song; the rest of the partygoers were now dancing quite avidly themselves, and they all threw their wings up on every repetition on 'Hey!'. "_**All I want is to be free and rock my body!**_" "_**Okay!**_"

"_**Been around the world, and I wanna live my life, 'cause in Rio, Rio, I realized~**_" Unbidden, a memory of the prelude to the tragic smuggling operation forced its way to the forefront of Blu's mind, the one good part of it he'd had, where he was dancing and shaking his tailfeathers to the heartsong of the jungle.

Nanashi and Jewel both got a _very_ good look at Blu's avian instincts kicking in for the second time in an hour, and Nanashi practically _beamed_ with pride for his younger brother. _It won't be too much longer now, Blu. You're so close, I'm sure you'd be able to reach out and touch it._

_**I wanna party! I wanna samba!**_ Blu's entire body started moving to the groove of the rhythm, but Jewel was shocked at Blu's unique style of dancing. "What-what are you doing?"

"I don't know!"

_**I wanna party! I wanna samba!**_ Rafael turned past one of the dancing birds, not entirely interested in dancing himself as he'd already had his fill of dancing in his life, and found Blu dancing to the groove. "Alright, Blu!"

_**I wanna party, and live my life~  
I wanna party and fly!**_

"_**I'm that samba, samba master, master-master-master-master!**_" Blu's movements became more erratic as the flow of the song changed, and Jewel cautiously backed up, gazing in shock at Blu the entire time, wondering why his avian instincts had started kicking in _now_ of all times. Despite this new development, a wide smile was on her face as she watched Blu.

"_**Push out sound from my getcho blaster, blaster-blaster-blaster-blaster!**_" Jewel stopped caring how weird Blu's own dancing was and started dancing to the rhythm herself, smiling all the while. While Blu's was more erratic and unstable, like a good muscle that hadn't been used in a long time was suddenly being told to do as much work as it could, Jewel's was more refined and elegant, as she slid her body from side to side and twirled her wings about her as if in an enthralling mid-flight performance.

"_**You dance fast, but I dance faster, faster-faster-faster-faster!**_" The moment Blu saw Jewel dancing alongside him, he froze, his eyes flitting about in uncertainly. Jewel didn't notice, as she had closed her eyes, letting the rhythm carry her away, but Rafael did, and he approached Blu, nudging him with his wing. "Hey, I think she likes you!"

"What are you talking about? Haven't you been listening?!"

"No, I've been _watching_. Just like your big brother over there." Rafael gestured to Nanashi, who brought his wings closer together, their points nearly touching.

"_**You too slow, you need to catch up! You can dance and dance~**_" Rafael was starting to get a little annoyed by Blu's indecision, as he continued standing there, dumbstruck and unsure of himself. "Just be yourself! Go on!"

"_**I wanna party! I wanna samba! I wanna party! I wanna samba!**_" Blu bumped right into Jewel, startling her enough that she briefly stopped dancing, and the two looked into the others' eyes for a moment, before Jewel bumped Blu with her backside, inviting him to dance with her, and he eventually caved, moving until he was almost in sync with her own fluid style.

"_**I wanna party, and live my life! I wanna party and fly!**_" As the tempo and bass of the music started getting faster, Blu stopped thinking about what he was doing entirely and decided to enjoy this rare moment he probably wouldn't ever get again. Jewel extended her wing out to him as they danced, and he took it without hesitation, Jewel giggling at Blu's enthusiasm. Nearby, Rafael crossed his wings, smiling in satisfaction, and Nanashi's shit-eating grin was slowly becoming permanently plastered to his face.

"_**Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Aww-aahhhh! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Aww-aahhhh!**_" The two started dancing much faster as many of the partygoers, Nico and Pedro included, took off into the sky, bringing a new atmosphere to the slowly evolving song… no, it was now a _heartsong_; its notes and tones had gripped its audience enough that not only did it refuse to relinquish its hold, the partygoers refused to let it escape. Birds all over threw up their wings to each beat of the bongos.

In that moment, brief as it was, Blu's instincts took over entirely, entrenched in the rhythm as they were, and he twirled Jewel around and used every ounce of strength in his wings to lift Jewel off the ground. "_**Layalayalayalayaaaa~!**_"

Time seemed to slow down around Blu, and his heart started beating faster, not from the adrenaline or the excitement; hell, not even the heartsong had done it. Right in that moment, his initial belief that Jewel was, in some way, an angel, had been reaffirmed and cemented. Her voice when it gently pushed out the notes as she held herself aloft was the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard in his life.

"_**Layalayalayalayalayalayalayalayaaa~!**_ _**Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Aww-aahhhh!"**_ The atmosphere continued to intensify as Jewel gracefully landed on the ground, and Blu and Jewel's eyes met, but unlike the first time, earlier in the song, their gazes remained locked on one another, as if the entire party going on around them had faded away from their awareness. They slowly leaned in toward the other, and the sparks Nanashi and Rafael had observed turned into a raging flame-

"_**Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey-**_"

-Which was suddenly derailed as the picnic blankets above them were yanked away and the area was filled with natural light again, and the music – nay, the entire _party_ – ground to an abrupt halt. Blu and Jewel froze, looking at the source of the light in total shock, and all the birds of the party narrowed their eyes when, of all things, a _monkey_ that would be mistaken for a baby chimp wearing _gaudy jewelry_ put his foot on top of the box he was standing on in a triumphant pose. "You two are coming with me," he said in a confident voice as he pointed at Blu and Jewel.

"In your little monkey dreams," Jewel immediately shot back at the monkey, and spit on the ground in front of him, as a crowd of other monkeys hopped down from the boxes above them and took stance on the other side of what was, just a brief minute ago, the party dance floor.

Blu tried to mimic Jewel's action as a show of solidarity, but ended up making a fool of himself. In an attempt to save face, he thrust his wing out at the monkey. "That was meant for you!" Jewel was a bit grossed out by Blu's attempt, but she rolled her eyes and went with the flow, glaring at the monkey.

Rafael stepped up to the center. "Hey, can't we all just be friends?"

The monkey pushed Rafael's wing off of him and glared at him. "This isn't your fight, big-nose."

"_No, it's mine._" Blu's eyes widened in shock. That was Nanashi, and he sounded _livid_.

And livid he was. Nanashi _took off_ in what some of the birds that were there that day would swear was a blur, and the monkey went flying back, taking four others out with him and cracking the wood of the box he smashed into.

Blu and Jewel, as well as the rest of the birds and some of the monkeys, stiffened in shock. "You _dare_ waltz in, interrupt a _heartsong_ and an amazing party, stomp around like you own the place, and interrupt the moment of _my brother's life_?!" One of the birds stumbled back upon staring at Nanashi's eyes; unholy fury stirred just under the surface of those gold orbs like an awakened beast, but even under those, he could have sworn there was an ominous red glow to them, one that commanded instant obedience or doled out _swift, painful death_. "Be thankful you had that jewelry on, because that was a _fatal attack_, and you should be dead right now."

Rafael suddenly _understood_. His older brother and only sibling had died in a logging disaster seventeen years ago, but once, when the two were kids, a flock of birds had tried to kidnap Rafael to use as a ransom against his parents, and Emmanuel, his older brother, who had been knocked out of the nest and had a wing tied to his back so he couldn't fly, climbed back up to the nest with only his right wing and his beak and _killed_ all four of the assailants without mercy or fanfare. Nanashi's brotherly instinct was finally kicking in for real, and the monkeys would be on the receiving end of his unfathomable ire.

Nanashi turned a much softer gaze back on the birds. "Get Blu and Jewel to the trolley when it comes for its return pass. I'm going to _take out the garbage_." His tone, and the absolute murder that practically _dripped_ off of every word, brooked no room for argument, and the birds quickly moved to get Blu and Jewel to safety. Nanashi was sure the two and the rest of the partygoers could handle this kind of situation just fine on their own, but he had an unhealthy amount of rage to relieve, and he didn't want the birds to bear witness to the _massacre_ that was about to start.

"You heard the bird! Let's go, go, go!" Nico called, flying down to Blu and Jewel's level with Pedro, the two forming a shield around them. Several of the toucans present did the same.

"Don't let them escape!" the now-disoriented monkey slurred out. Two of the monkeys tried to go after Blu and Jewel, but Nanashi was suddenly _in front_ of them, and he slammed their heads together with his wings hard enough to instantly knock them unconscious. He dropped the monkeys, and they fell to the ground bonelessly, like puppets whose strings had just been cut.

Right as they were about to start fighting for real, Blu broke himself out of Pedro and Nico's grip and walked over to Nanashi, who was glaring at the downed monkeys. He grabbed Nanashi's beak and pulled him towards him. Blu was almost _terrified_ by the ominous glow his brother's eyes seemed to have, but he didn't care. Regardless of how weak these monkeys might be, he wasn't going to just leave. Blu was angry too, though he had managed to keep himself calm.

"Big bro, I'm not letting you do this alone."

"You misunderstand, Blu. You don't want to see what I'm about to do to them. It's going to make that burned cake that Linda tried making in fifth grade look like an entrée."

Blu shook his head in defiance. "I know you're angry, but so am I. I might be a little more collected about it right now, but I still want my piece of them too."

Nanashi stood silently for a moment, before sighing. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the ominous glow from before was gone. "Alright, fine, Blu, but leave the one with the jewelry for me, alright?"

Blu held out his wing in a weird gesture, and Nanashi reciprocated, the two bumping their wing together. "Deal."

Jewel's eyes were wide. Had Blu known the significance of what was about to happen? Jewel had never actually seen Blu _angry_ before, but this new development seemed to have lit a fire under his tailfeathers. Eventually, she decided to shelve the thought for later, and stood beside Blu and Nanashi. "He's right. And if you mess with Blu or Nanashi, you mess with _me_." Blu's eyes widened in shock. Jewel was actually _defending_ him now?

Despite himself and his former anger, Nanashi's beck curled upwards in a smile. _Noted, Jewel. One more point for Blu._

As if on cue, the entire rest of the party flock stepped forward as if they were the same bird. "_And us!_"

Blu smiled to himself for all the new friends he'd seemed to make today, before narrowing his eyes at the monkeys.

"Birds versus monkeys!" Pedro shouted and went in for first blow, and in less than a second, the old party grounds became _pandemonium_.

Blu and Jewel dodged one of the monkey's attacks as Nico and Pedro shot heavy coconut seeds at him, and the monkey managed to dodge, causing his partner to get hit in the process. The monkey grinned in triumph and was in the middle of turning around to taunt the two small birds when he caught a coconut seed to the jaw, knocking him out cold.

Blu used his chain and _pulled_, tripping a monkey that was trying to get to Jewel, and a moment later, she returned the favor by dealing a _very_ harsh blow to another monkey that had him trapped, causing the monkey to spit precious gems before collapsing to the concrete in unimaginable pain. The two smiled at each other briefly before getting back to work.

Rafael never thought he'd get another chance to put his art to practice, but with the fight going on, exuberant monkeys were dropping like flies left and right, unable to defend against his attack. He was having fun right until an especially flamboyant one started making monkey noises and flailing his limbs in a mockery of a fighting stance, and Rafael rolled his eyes in annoyance as he used his wing to give the monkey a solid hit on the head that knocked him out.

Nanashi swatted away any monkey that came close to him with his large wings as he stalked closer to his prey, the one with the jewelry. He grabbed the disoriented monkey and prepared to fly away. "Rafael, where is Luiz's garage?"

"It's a half-kilometer off the end of the trolley track north of here. Going somewhere?"

"I'm taking _this one_ and going to bow off some anger. I'll meet you guys there. Tell Blu and Jewel they don't have to worry about me."

Rafael nodded. "You take care of business, my student."

Nanashi flew off as one of the flamingoes grabbed Blu and Jewel's chain. "Need a lift?"

The monkeys weren't deterred, though, and chained themselves by latching onto Blu's extended wing and each other, and the last one wrapped his hand and tail around a clothesline, trying to stop the flamingo from getting away with Blu and Jewel.

"Nico, take care of them!" Rafael shouted to Nico and pointed to Blu, and Nico took aim with his bottlecap-hat and threw. A second later, it was proven to be a perfect shot as the monkey got hit on the head and, now disoriented, let go of Blu's wing, allowed Blu and Jewel to safely get away. Rafael, Nico, and Pedro flew away after them, leaving their other friends to finish the now far outnumbered monkeys off.

* * *

**I normally don't want to do A/Ns on this story, for **_**whatever**_** reason, but I just wanted to share with you guys the fact that, in my own opinion, I've **_**never**_** in my life enjoyed something as much as I did writing this chapter. I tried a new style of incorporating songs in, as you could see, and I really wanted to convey the sheer emotional impact this song had on me as I watched the movie. I hope you guys like the effort that went into this beast of a chapter, because I loved writing it.**


	9. 8: Spark of Love

**Chapter 8: Spark of Love**

The flamingo dropped Blu and Jewel off, and Blu turned around on the trolley car. "Thank you!"

"Anytime!" the flamingo yelled as it flew off toward the jungle.

Pedro, Nico, and Rafael flew around, landing on the trolley car beside Blu and Jewel. "Yo, that fight was _awesome_!" Pedro was practically bouncing around with excitement.

"Yeah, we threw _down_!" Blu put in his own opinion of the fight.

"Oh _yeah_, we threw down!" Jewel put in right after Blu, a confident smile on her face.

Rafael turned to the two. "You two were like fire and ice!"

"Thunder and lightning!"

"Hip and hop!"

"Cheese and sprinkles!" The conversation nearly flipped on its head at Blu's weird analogy, and the others stared weirdly at him. Jewel wasn't exactly sure what to think. "Uh… it's a Minnesota thing."

The others just took it in stride and started laughing. Rafael put his wing around Blu. "That's what I love about you, Blu! Nothing you say makes any sense!"

Eventually, Blu and Jewel just turned to face the front f the trolley and watch the sunset, while Rafael, Nico, and Pedro fell back to the center, where Pedro's trusty acoustic guitar sat propped up on the cover of the trolley's whistle.

Rafael lightly whistled, and Blu leaned back surreptitiously, not knowing Jewel had already heard Rafael and would catch their entire next exchange. When Blu looked back, Rafael pushed his wingtips closer together, and Blu, instead of saying anything and risking Jewel being alerted to Rafael's suggestion, simply nodded.

"There he goes! That's my boy!" Rafael quietly exclaimed in building excitement.

"Yeah, Blu is finally starting to do pretty well on his own. The lessons I've taught him all these years are finally paying off," Nanashi nearly whispered as he quietly landed on the trolley next to Rafael. There were a couple blunt marks on his feet and body, but other than that, the white raven was unharmed.

"You said you would meet us at Luiz's garage."

Nanashi quietly chuckled. "Well, dealing with that monkey pest was easier than I thought, and I caught sight of you guys on the trolley as I flew by toward the garage, so I thought I'd just give my wings a bit of time to relax and join you." Rafael nodded as Nanashi looked toward Blu and Jewel. He saw his younger brother getting closer to Jewel, likely to wrap a wing around her, and whistled to Pedro and Nico. "Hey guys, you got a good mood to add to this?"

"Don't worry, man, I'm on it! _**Get-a-get-a-get-a-get-a-get-a-get-a-girl! Get-**_" Pedro's mouth was quickly covered by Nanashi's wing. He looked at Pedro with his eyebrow raised.

"Listen, Pedro, I like your style and the way you think, but _no_. That is _not_ the kind of mood you set in a situation like this. I could have done that better without needing to _sing_."

Pedro crossed his wings. "Well, I'd like to see you do better, then!"

Nico got between the two, wildly flapping his wings to get them to stop. "Hey now, no need to fight, guys." He turned to Pedro. "He's right, though, we need a different kind of mood. Not hating on your creativity, but I think I got this one. Follow my lead."

Blu scooted closer to Jewel, unaware that she had heard the entire exchange between himself and Rafael, and slowly went to put his wing over her. _Alright, now that he's been given the idea, let's see if he can follow through with it_, she thought as she slyly looked at Blu fidgeting from the corner of her eye.

Before she looked at the wing, he stopped and thought. _Why am I hesitating? If I don't do this, I'll never be able to know how my life could have turned out! And I've missed enough opportunities already! Besides, Big Bro always told me when you can't decide what to do, you have to let your heart guide you._

And that's exactly what Blu did. All traces of fear or retribution having left the building, Blu slowly wrapped his wing around Jewel's body, and her eyes briefly widened a trace in surprise and appreciation. _He actually did it. I thought for sure he would have backtracked at the last second._ After a moment, though, she decided she quite liked the feeling of security she felt tucked under his wing, and she leaned into his chest, sighing contentedly.

Nico started whistling a soft, airy tune as Rafael looked on in satisfaction and Pedro started plucking the strings of his guitar and Nanashi's eyes widened in happiness. _He's finally learning to trust his heart!_

Rafael practically grinned at Nico's successful attempt. "Now _that's_ more like it." He got up and flew into one of the sakura – cherry blossom – trees that hung above the trolley, knocking off some of the pink petals and letting them fall to the ground around Blu and Jewel.

_**Wasn't really thinking, wasn't looking, wasn't searching for an answer~  
In the moonlight… when I saw your face~**_

"_**Saw you looking at me, saw you peeking, out from under moon beams… Through the palm trees, swaying in the breeze~**_" Blu and Jewel continued to enjoy the atmosphere. They had both realized the purpose of Nico's song, but neither of them cared; they just wanted to enjoy this rare moment. Rafael gestured to Blu from the side to get his attention, and whispered a suggestion, but Blu slowly gestured his wing in the negative._ Twice I've been given the chance to enjoy a moment like this, and twice has it been just as suddenly ripped away. I'm not going to let this one slip by, and I'm certainly not going to make a fool of myself._

"Hey, Blu?" Jewel quietly asked.

"Yeah, Jewel?"

"_**I know I'm feeling so much more, than ever before~**_" "Do you really _know_ why you came here? I know the others have said it's been about saving the species and whatnot, but I can tell you don't care about that anymore."

"_**And so I'm giving more to you, than I thought I could do~**_" Blu closed his eyes in thought for a moment. "Honestly, I never wanted to come here in the first place. Since I've never been able to fly, neither myself, Nanashi, or Linda were very big on travel. We never really got out much, like Nico said."

"_**Don't know how it happened, don't know why but you don't really need a reason~**_" Jewel's eyebrows hiked. "Wait, so you're telling me you don't even _want_ to be here?" Blu could almost _feel_ the slight anger in her voice, as if something very dear had just been stolen from her.

"_**When the stars shine, just to fall in love~**_" Blu's eyes widened. That might not have been the right response. "No, no, Jewel, that's not what I meant. But Big Bro convinced me to come eventually. And these past couple days I've been in Rio, I realized something. As an intelligent bird, reading books and using human technology has always been fascinating, but as a _bird_, I feel like I just… _belong_ here. I know Big Bro said this used to be our homeland, and deep down, I can feel it. It's like when I'm here, a part of me I never knew was gone came back.

"_**Made to love each other, made to be together for a lifetime~**_" "And, now that I think about it… maybe he knew that. He knew that sitting inside on snowy days reading books and drinking hot chocolate wasn't the life he knew I could live, if only we were given the chance. And… now that I think about it, I don't even think he came here because _he_ wanted to… I think he did this for me. He… probably knew I'd have to experience all these things for myself, to really _live_ instead of living going about things day in, day out, turning life into one big routine.

"_**In the sunshine, flying in the sky~**_" "And now that I know how it feels to actually _be_ here and do all these crazy, fun things, and be with so many good birds… I'm dreading having to go back to Minnesota. I don't know how the others feel, or how _you_ feel, but the day I have to leave… I get the feeling that piece of me that came back is just going to be crushed all over again."

"_**I know I'm feeling so much more than ever before~**_" Jewel's eyes widened. He'd just said it. Blu hadn't wanted to come here in the first place, but now that he was here, he didn't want to _leave_, and more importantly, he'd just admitted he was going to hate the day he had to go. "Well… I already know a lot of that, and you have made a lot of friends here, but you never said anything about me. Am I not that special to you?"

"_**And so I'm giving more to you, than I thought I could do~**_" Blu looked at Jewel like she was crazy. "What?! No! That's not what I meant at all!"

"Than what _did_ you mean, Blu?"

"_**Now I know love is real…**_" Blu started to panic, but he forced himself to stop and breathe in, breathe out, to keep his cool. _Can I do this? I've never been in this… No, Blu! Stop doubting yourself! Your heart has gotten you this far, so let it help you!_

"_**So, when sky-high, as the angels tryyyy~**_" He turned to Jewel, and she was momentarily shocked by the _determination_ in his eyes. "You want to know the _real_ reason I don't want to leave? Fine, I'll tell you. It's _you_, Jewel. Ever since before we met Rafael, it's _been_ you." Blu looked hard at the sunset. "Being here, enjoying all these things, it's been amazing, don't get me wrong. But I never wanted to come here because I was afraid of how things would work out with the last female of my species, but after being here and doing all these amazing things, with her by my side, that same beautiful bird is the reason I'm going to be _heartbroken_ when I have to leave. She's kind, generous, and isn't afraid to speak her mind, but she also has a mean streak a kilometer wide when one of her friends gets hurt, and she's not afraid to get down to whatever business she might be up to, even if other birds think less of her for it. And you know who that bird is? It's _you_."

Jewel's eyes were wide in shock. _He… he… I_…

Blu took a deep breath to steel himself. _You've come this far already._ And finally, he managed to force out the four words he'd been terrified of admitting, because he _knew_ this was his only chance. "_Jewel, I love you._"

"_**Letting you and I… Flyyyyyyy… Loooooooove!**_" Finally, the single hardest confession of his life having come to a close, his beak smashed into Jewel's, and her eyes went wide in total astonishment. A moment later, she closed them, and kissed him back. _I… I don't know how things are going to work out… but I feel happier than I ever have. I… I think I love you too, Blu_.

Nanashi grabbed Rafael, Nico, and Pedro, and brought them back to the middle of the trolley, Nanashi's smile and posture the proudest it had ever been. _You did it, Blu. You finally realized what this entire adventure was truly about._ Nanashi put a wing to his beak in thought. _Now I need to find a way to talk Linda into staying here in Rio, but it definitely won't be easy._ _He spoke the truth; while I wanted to hopefully stay here in our homeland, this was all about Blu._

* * *

"_The float parade has been postponed until three days from now due to the power outage, so you've got until then to have my shipment ready to fly. And you better have those two damn macaws on the plane or I'm paying a visit to Rio myself!_" the voice on the other end of the line shouted. Juan winced at the volume of the gravelly voice.

"Don't worry, I've got it taken care of. Those two macaws won't escape me again."

"_They had better not, or you're a dead man._" The line on the other end suddenly cut, signaling the end of the call, and Juan sighed, throwing the dial phone to the other side of the room and breaking it in the process.

"Nigel!" he called out, and the disfigured white cockatoo landed on his desk. "Find me those two macaws and bring them back alive. I don't care if you have to drag them back kicking and screaming or half-dead, just get them here." The cockatoo nodded and squawked, before flying out the open window and into the darkening sky.

* * *

**If any of you noticed a major change in this chapter, you'd be right: First, I rewrote the entire scene to show Blu's growth as a character in the story, and second, I used the full lyrics of Fly Love instead of the half of the song we have in the actual movie. Third, I just extended the amount of real estate I have to work with because I have another plan regarding one of the upcoming chapters. Let me know how I did if you want; it really helps to know how these new ideas I get pan out.**


	10. 9: Twilight Disaster

**Chapter 9: Twilight Disaster**

The brakes of the trolley car engaged, and the metal miniature ferry ground to a halt briefly to let its passengers off. There were none, but according to Rio's and Brazil's transportation laws, a minimum wait time had to be observed on public transportation services to both allow passengers to exit the trolley and to enter in a timely fashion. Rio's laws set the mandatory standard at thirty seconds, which was just enough time for Blu to use his beak and feet to climb down with Jewel flying next to him, making sure he didn't fall. Nanashi, Rafael, Nico, and Pedro flew down next to them.

As the trolley car started making its way down the last half-kilometer stretch of the track, Rafael extended his wing in a revealing gesture to the rusted gate whose upper metal hinge had snapped clean off, leaving the bottom corner of the gate to hug the concrete to support the rest of the old doorway. "I give you… Luiz's garage!"

Nanashi winced as the other hinge of the gate snapped, as if on cue, and left the gate to crash to the ground with a dull, ringing _thud_. "Bit rundown, don't you think, Old Man Rafi?"

Rafael chuckled. "He prefers to think of it as… _antique_. Come on, let's head inside!" Rafael jumped around on his feet and flew into the garage as the others followed him.

Blu looked around at the dark, dank mechanics' shop that had obviously not been used in months, if not _years_, if the mold-covered ceiling, the loose, nearly detached wall tiles, and the vegetation slowly taking over were any indication.

Blu turned to Nanashi as something he'd completely forgotten about jumped to the front of his thoughts. "Hey, Nanashi, how exactly did you get out of the artificial jungle?"

"Got lucky. Janitor came in for cleaning about fifteen minutes after whoever that kid was kidnapped you two. Were it not for him, I'd have probably sat in there for hours."

Blu h'mmed in affirmation, but all of them froze momentarily upon hearing the screeching, grinding noise of metal moving against metal. "So where exactly _is_ Luiz?"

"Oh, he's around here somewhere. When he's not out and about, he's finding ways to get the old parts in here working. He always wanted to turn this garbage heap into an actual shop."

As that finished, Blu and Jewel walked toward a dilapidated car that had to have been sitting in the rundown shop for at least five years. Most of the brown paint had been worn away, and the metal underneath rusted, until the frame could barely be recognized as one.

They stopped a few feet away, but were suddenly shocked into rapidly stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over the chain, when, of all things, a _bulldog_ jumped out of the internal assembly of the car, nearly breaking the hood of it off, and ran at them, growling and barking angrily, as if someone had just invaded its territory.

Blu and Jewel tripped over the chain and landed side-by-side, and both of them became _intimately_ familiar with the concrete as the bulldog stood over them, growling as the disproportionate amount of droll that leaked out of its jaw and down the sagging flaps of its rapidly-aging skin.

"Luiz, _enough!_" Rafael called out, and the bulldog, now revealed as Luiz, sucked back up his drool as best he could, though some still hung out.

"Ugh, that's just gross," Jewel commented in disdain as she tried to get the mental image of drool nearly touching her eye out of her brain.

"What, you got a problem with bulldogs?" Luiz asked in a low voice as he stepped back, allowing the two to stand up.

"I do when they're _drooling_ on me."

Luiz looked down to the ground sadly, as if shamed. "It's a medical condition." He turned to Rafael. "She's mean, man."

"As good as it is to see you, old friend, I'm not here for a house call." Rafael commented as he held up the chain for Luiz to examine. Luiz stepped closer and looked at the chain for a moment. "Hmm… I think I know_ just_ the trick."

He guided the two macaws to get up onto a large table next to the car, and he pressed a few buttons that seemed to be adjusted specifically for him, before using his body weight and ramming into the table a few times, and out popped a _table saw blade_.

While Jewel was starting to freak out, Blu's human-raised mind immediately went to work. _Let's see… blade's not straight… dull edges… oh no. Those rings in the center are too wide and dark, which means not only is that not a proper weld, but…_ "…oh shit."

Jewel looked at Blu in shock. "Blu, what's wrong?"

"That blade isn't strong _or_ sharp enough to cut the chain. It's only made of ten-forty-five round stock steel. You need at least ten-_ninety-five_ or _tamahagane steel _to cut this kind of chain. The worst part about it… that blade is _supposed_ to be made of ten-ninety-five. That has to be some cheap Chinese knock-off." Blu gulped in fear. _I'm about to die… __**again**__._

"Oh, relax! I've got this. Now, _scream really loud_ if you need something, because I can't really hear very well through this thing!" Luiz pushed on what Blu recognized as a welder's mask. "Oh, and try not to move very much! I can't really see out of this thing either!"

Blu internally scoffed despite the situation he now found himself in. _Of course you can't see out of the damn thing, it's made for humans, not bulldogs,_ he sardonically thought.

The two macaws looked in hesitation and more than a slight amount of fear as Rafael flew up to a large switch. Luiz called out to the bird as he flew. "Rafi, hit it!"

Rafael smiled in reassurance that didn't get across to Blu or Jewel. "Relax, he's a professional!" Rafael threw the switch, and the blade quickly spun up to over ten thousand RPMs.

Luiz slowly pushed Blu and Jewel forward, but he wasn't pushing in the right direction, and on top of that, the bulldog slipped and threw the two macaws forward when he stepped in a spot of his own drool that had just leaked onto the already slippery floor.

Only a combination of Jewel's fast reflexes and avian instincts saved Blu from an untimely death. Right as the blade would have started cutting into Blu's skull, Jewel flew up and grabbed the worker's light with her beak, pushing as hard as she could with her wings and dragging Blu feet-first into the air. A testament of how close Blu had come to dying was the fact that one of the three feathers that stuck up on the top of his head was now gone.

Rafael tried in vain, with Pedro and Nanashi's help, to turn the table saw off, and the switch was locked in place. Luiz stumbled into the blade, and it managed to cut his welder's helmet straight in half, leaving the bulldog dumbfounded and shocked.

Unfortunately, Jewel fell past the other side of the table, dragging Blu down with her, and the chain got caught in Luiz's exposed teeth. The two macaws now dangled by their chain, unable to do anything as the table was too high for Jewel to fly back up.

Luiz, his mouth having been forced open by the two macaws now dangling from his tooth, was unable to control his drooling, and some of it slipped off and landed on Blu and Jewel's clasped feet, the slickness of it causing the clasps of the chain to slip off without damaging their feet. They fell to the ground, both getting as much of the drool off as they could, before Jewel momentarily froze. "Hey, Jewel, can you believe it?! We're… free?" Blu looked around to see where Jewel had gone, and found her flying in the air with Pedro and Nico.

"I'm free! Whoo-_hoo_!" Blu was happy for a moment, but the happiness faded away as he came to the realization that this was now the end. With the chain off, it seemed all the adventures had finally come to a close, his inability to fly having been an insurmountable obstacle, and the crushing realization that there was no way to avoid going back to Minnesota settled in the pit of his now upset stomach. He slowly walked out of Luiz's garage as the other birds, Nanashi excluded, flew into the air celebrating Jewel's freedom. "I wanna fly! Fly just like a bird!"

"But you _are_ a bird, Jewel!" Pedro exclaimed, causing the four birds to chuckle.

Jewel continued flying around until she noticed Blu walking down the street toward the aviary, his head down. She became very worried and flew down, landing behind him and causing Blu to stop. "Blu… Blu, what's wrong?"

Unable to control his emotions in lieu of the realization that everything he had done was for nothing, Blu said something he would come to deeply regret. "Oh, everything's fine! Yep. You'll be off to the rainforest, I'll be back with Linda, just like we planned."

"Hey, birds! Stop yapping and start _flapping!_ Let's go!" Nico exclaimed, flying by before darting back into the sky.

Nanashi's eyes widened in mounting horror. _Nico, you hopeless idiot. What have you done?_

Blu's spirit was instantly _crushed_ by Nico's words. "Well, I… I just thought that…"

"That what? You would come back to Minnesota? Well, that's great, I guess I'll knit you a scarf."

Jewel winced. "That's not what I meant, Blu."

Blu turned around, pacing in distress. "Look, Jewel, I-I-I can't spend my like walking around, following you wherever you're going."

Jewel's eyes widened. "Look, it's not my fault you can't fly."

Nanashi _froze_. He knew what was about to happen; he'd seen it happen before. _Oh no… Blu, I'm so sorry._

Rafael jumped between the two, raising his wings. "Okay, okay. You know what? This is good. Let's clear the air. Just be completely honest with each other!"

"Fine. Fine! I can be honest. I can't stand having to walk around everywhere, watching everyone else embrace the freedom I never had! And… you… you know what? I hate samba!"

Nico's eyes widened in horror, and he buried himself in Pedro's chest. "No! Make the mean bird take it back!" Rafael stepped back, and Jewel flinched.

Pedro almost _glared_ at Blu. "Hey! That's a little _too far_."

Blu hadn't wanted to say any of it, but he kept going anyway. _I've already dug myself into a hole, let's see how deep I can make it!_ He cynically thought. "Yeah, I said it! Every song sounds _exactly_ the same! Tico, taco, ya-ya-ya! Tico, taco, ya-ya-ya!" He nearly growled, stretching his face out with his wings angrily. "Well, I'm tico-taco out of here." He turned around and ran as fast as he could in the other direction, trying desperately to keep the tears from leaking out.

"… Fine! See you later, _pet_!"

…_much, much worse._

And just like that, the death-knell of the macaws' happiness had been sounded. Rafael watched, shocked as Jewel flew away, and decided this situation needed his personal touch. "Nonono, wait, wait, wait! Come back! You belong together!" he shouted to Jewel as she took to the air. "You are Juliet to his Romeo! Sure, they both die in the end, but… you get my point!" Nico and Pedro flew down next to Rafael as he sighed. "Oh, young love. Always so melodramatic."

Nanashi looked down sadly. "I know that things sometimes have to get worse before they can get better… but we already _had_ that. This was a turning point of the wrong kind." He turned to the three. "Pedro, Nico, fly after Jewel. Even if she doesn't want your company, make sure she gets back safe to wherever she's going. Rafael, go after Blu."

Rafael raised his eyebrow as Pedro and Nico took off after Jewel. "And why can't you go after him? He's _your_ brother."

"I can't help but feel like I've failed him. Everything I've done since I came back to our homeland has been for him. And now, we've even failed at the goal we didn't want to talk about. I can't face my brother in good conscience right now. I'm sorry, Rafael." Nanashi flew away in the direction of the center of the city, and Rafael cursed, before remembering Blu needed help of his own.

"Wait, Blu! Come on!" Rafael flew over and landed, walking next to Blu.

Blu turned his head in Rafael's direction solemnly. "Isn't Carnaval that way?" he asked, pointing his wing in the direction of the garage.

"I'm not going to Carnaval. No, I'm heading home."

Blu turned to Rafael and stopped. "Why? Don't you love Carnaval?"

"I do," Rafael said, turning out to look at the moon. "But I love my family much more." He turned back to Blu, tapping his chest. "That's a decision I made with this, not with this." He tapped Blu's head after to get his point across.

* * *

Jewel flew away, in the direction of the moonlight, tears falling away and being swept up by the wind as she flew. _Why? Why did I say those hurtful things? Not three hours ago, I was happier than I ever have been… and I ruined it… Why? Why did you do it, Jewel?!_

Suddenly, she grabbed by the throat by a bird, who she quickly recognized was Nigel the cockatoo. "_Going_ somewhere, pretty birdie?"

Survival instinct kicked in and overrode emotional thought, and Jewel smirked. "Oh yeah! I was just on my way to _claw your eyes out_!" She kicked Nigel straight in the chest, managing to draw a small bit of blood, and the two fought for a moment before Nigel hit Jewel in the tail _hard_, and she tried to hold it, only to stop flying as Nigel caught her feet. "No! No! Let… me go!"

Two hundred meters back, Nico and Pedro's eyes widened in shock. 'Oh no! We gotta go warn Blu!"

* * *

"And where's Nanashi? I figured he'd be around to talk some sense into me for what I did. I completely screwed up. I finally managed to do something _right_ without something going wrong in the process, and right after, _this_ happens." Blu angrily commented in self-deprecation.

Before Rafael could reply, the power to most of Rio suddenly _shifted_ back to normal, and loudspeakers placed all over the city blared to life. "_Power has successfully been restored, and Carnaval is back on schedule! We hope to see how creative your floats can get! The parade will start in one hour! And to all a good party!_"

* * *

"_Good. Since the parade is back on schedule, with the uproar Rio is likely in now, you'll use that to your advantage. I've secured a float nearby for you to use. It's not the best, but your lackeys will bring it to you. Remember, Juan, those macaws better be on that plane, or your life will be forfeit,"_ the voice on the other end of the line said, before the line cut. Juan got up and put the disposable phone in his pocket.

He got up and checked the papers he'd use to get the birds turned over in San Juan, and grabbed his blazer jacket, leaving as Nigel showed up and threw Jewel into a cage and locked the door, making sure to put a key lock on so she couldn't escape. She groaned in protest, but wasn't able to do much else as Nigel grabbed the top of the cage and flew off.

_Well, it doesn't look like I'll be able to see you again, Blu. I don't know if you can hear me, but for what it's worth… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…_

* * *

Nanashi waited patiently on top of his perch, and observed silently, stealthily as Juan and Nigel left, Jewel in hand. He'd been _very_ lucky to observe Nigel taking Jewel somewhere as he flew away from the garage where disaster had occurred, and he knew it, so he followed Nigel from a distance and ended up here.

He was about to take off silently when he heard voices he recognized easily approaching the building from the back; Linda and Tulio were here, but why?

He quickly and silently flew to the back, where they stood in the old shop Blu and Jewel had been caged in, only now it was empty. He landed on top of one of the old, dilapidated boxes and called out. "Linda, Tulio, what are you doing here?"

Linda and Tulio's gazes, as well as that of a teenage boy with dark skin, shot to him. "Nanashi? Where have you been?"

Nanashi made a motion for the three to be silent. "You guys need to listen to me _very carefully_. Don't interrupt and don't ask questions until I'm done, understood?" The three nodded. "It seems another smuggling operation like the one that brought Blu and I to Linda is happening right now. I'm not going to let it happen because the idiots in charge, ones we've already had to deal with, just kidnapped Jewel." Linda and Tulio gasped in shock, but otherwise remained silent.

"Now here's the plan. I'm sure Blu already knows and is on his way to assist, but in the meantime, I need a backup plan. If I remember anything about my own kidnapping, we were hauled as cargo in a plane, and they're probably thinking of doing the same thing. Linda, I don't care what you have to do, get into Carnaval somehow, get a float, and drive it to the abandoned airport north of the parade stadium. If there's an open port for airplanes to fly out of, use the float to _block_ it. And no matter what anyone tells you, don't move it until I get there, and I have both Blu _and_ Jewel. Understood?" Linda nodded. "Good. Now go, you have to start _now_ because they're probably already planning something of their own.

Nanashi turned to Tulio. "You're the head of the aviary, correct?" Tulio nodded. "Use your influence. Get in contact with the authorities and declare an environmental emergency. I don't care what you have to do, find some way to get police in every major point along Carnaval's route. I want eyes everywhere, and I refuse to let smugglers win a second time without one _hell_ of a fight. Got it?" Tulio nodded. "You go too. This needs to happen yesterday, otherwise this won't work." Tulio ran out the back door.

Nanashi turned to the kid that had been left behind. "So, who are you, kid? You led my human friends here, so I know you're involved in this somehow."

The kid, Fernando, told Nanashi everything, and he sighed, controlling his anger. "Ignoring the fact that I _really_ want to claw your eyes out for your role in my friends' distress, I have use for you. Do you know anyone who has a connection to a military force in the city?"

Fernando shook his head. "Dammit. Then just gather as many people as would reasonably fit on a float. Whatever float Linda gets a hold of, we're going to get you and that group on it. Preferably you need to find people that can hold their own in most fights. Understood?" Fernando nodded. "Good. Get going, and hurry. Time is of the utmost importance."

Nanashi flew out of the building at full speed. He already knew the group would be on their way to the parade route, so finding them later wouldn't be an issue. His goal in mind, he flew as fast as he could toward Luiz's garage. He would apologize to Blu for abandoning him in this trying time, and then they would solve this final puzzle together.

* * *

Blu couldn't believe his ears. Jewel had flown away because of him, and now she'd been _kidnapped_, again? He couldn't help but feel this was all his fault.

Rafael slapped Blu to get him out of his funk, going into full teacher mode. "Blu, _look at me_. You've carved a hole in your own heart, turned your best friend against you and ended any chance you could have a happy life here. Are you going to stand there and mope or are you going to make your wrongs right?"

It took Blu a moment of thought, but he continued to fight himself, thinking his mistakes were unforgivable. _Wait… thinking…_ Blu stopped using his head and consulted his heart, and the answer was immediate.

Blu turned back to Rafael. "I want to save her… but I don't know how we're going to do it…"

Bu tried to think of a plan, but his eyes widened when he heard a plea from a voice he could _swear_ was Jewel's. _…it doesn't look like I'll be able to see you again… For what it's worth… I'm so sorry…_

In that moment, Blu realized it didn't matter how he would do it. He _would_ save Jewel. There would be no other outcome.

He turned his determined gaze to Rafael and Luiz, who had just joined the group wearing what looked to be an Edible Arrangements bouquet. "_Let's fly!_"


	11. 10-1: The Tragedy Revealed

**Chapter 10, Part 1: The Tragedy Revealed**

Nanashi managed to make it back to the garage, and traced his steps toward Carnaval, finding Blu riding the Edible Arrangements basket on Luiz's head, Rafael, Nico, and Pedro in hot pursuit. All of them were tense, if the expressions on their face were any indication.

Nanashi landed on the ground, stopping the five in their tracks. "Blu, you're coming with me. We're taking the fight to them."

"Damn right we are." Nanashi could _hear_ the determination in Blu's voice, and smirked. They were going to make it through this.

"Wait, what about us? Not one of us can fly as fast as you can, Nanashi."

"I threw a little bit of my fame around and got a ride. He should be here around… now." Just as Nanashi finished speaking, a beat-up pickup truck stopped in front of them after skidding out of an alley. "James, thanks for this. Now remember what I said. Make absolutely _sure_ you get my friends here to Carnaval. I've already set my chess pieces, and I'll be damned if I lose any before the battle starts. I _will_ come out of this war the victor."

James, a blue-haired man who looked like he belonged in the United States, a Stetson hanging diagonally off of his head and a piece of corn crop hanging off the corner of his mouth, nodded. 'You got it, Nanashi. Just make sure you're careful. It'd be a real shame to lose the only white raven in the world."

Nanashi laughed despite himself. "Oh, no need to worry about me. I have no intention of dying tonight."

Rafael walked up to Nanashi as the others got in the passenger's seat of James's truck. "Thank you for this. You'd better take care of yourself, my student."

"Oh, don't worry, Master. I fully intend on dishing out some pain, and taking none of it. You guys need to find the float Jewel will be on once you get there. I've given James a match so he can light his truck on fire. This truck is quite disposable, and nowhere near his most valuable possession, so when you find Jewel's float, find him and he'll light it on fire. That's the signal for the _true_ game to start."

Rafael nodded as Nico and Pedro bumped wings with Nanashi. The three birds and Luiz quickly got in the truck, and James drove away, giving the gas everything it had.

Nanashi picked Blu up gently by his body and took off into the sky. "Look, Blu, I'm really sorry for leaving you behind like that. After everything I've tried to do for you, only to see it crumble away so quickly… I couldn't bring myself to face you."

Blu shook his head. "You're fine, Big Bro. I know you didn't mean anything by it, and you needed a little time. Besides, you shouldn't be the one apologizing. I'm the one who screwed up. I should've kept my big mouth shut, but I ruined my friendship with Jewel."

Nanashi sighed. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I realized I screwed up, but I'm not going to let it end like this. We're going to rescue Jewel, and I'm going to apologize to her for leaving like I did. I only hope she accepts my apology."

Nanashi nodded. "In that case, better start applying what I taught you, because I'm breaking out all my speed!"

Blu nodded and prepared himself. "Right, you're good to go!"

"Good. We're making a stop at the comms center on the top of the mountain. I have a message to deliver."

* * *

"Move out! Get in contact with the other divisions and the vigilantes across the city! We're not about to let a smuggling operation happen right under our noses! And we won't let our reputation be trampled on when we could have done something!" The police chief slammed his hand on the podium to emphasize his point. "Who's with me?!"

The entire police crew shouted in affirmation, motivated to finally recover the reputation they'd lost with the jungle smuggling operation of 1996.

* * *

At the stadium, multiple roadblocks had been partially set up, ready to be moved into place once the parade floats entered center stage.

The police chief of southern Rio radioed into his walkie. "Alright, Division 2, you are go for pincer maneuver. Be on the lookout for the target, Juan Hernandez. He will be either somewhere in the crowd or driving one of the parade floats as the festival begins."

* * *

"What the hell is going on?! Has all of Rio sniffed our bullshit?!" Juan raged in the parade float, listening to the crazed movement on the police scanner, as his lackeys ran around, sorting all the birds and making sure the cages wouldn't fall as they moved.

Jewel shuffled her feet, trying to hear the commotion going on in the front of the float, but she wasn't able to pick up on anything beyond the fact that Juan seemed _very_ angry. Suddenly, she had to shrink back in her cage as Nigel landed in front of the birds. "Alright, who tipped off the police about us? If someone doesn't start speaking in the next five seconds, I'm going to start _snapping necks_."

In the front of the float, Juan whipped out his phone, and prepared to make six key calls that would turn the tables in his favor. "If they want to set up for a firefight, we're going to _give them one_."

* * *

Nanashi got into the communications center, Blu hot on his heels. He quickly talked with the manager of the system and explained the nature of the visit, and the man quickly allowed Nanashi access to the central comm system. The man ran inside after him, flipping the necessary switches and signaling the other technicians in order to get the system up and running.

Once he finished, the "ON AIR" light kicked on and he gave Nanashi a thumbs-up.

* * *

Linda was in the middle of driving a massive, intricate float made, ironically, in the very likeness of the blue Spix's macaw she was trying to help save. A hundred of the roughest fighters in Rio stood on the various platforms of the float behind and .

As she got ready to turn to the end part of the Carnaval parade stadium, a voice kicked on the loudspeakers… one she recognized. Her eyes widened as every loudspeaker in the stadium blared to life, projecting Nanashi's voice throughout the stadium. "_My name is Nanashi. Some of you may know me as the talking bird, others may know me as the inter-species translator._

"_But I'm sure very few of you have heard the story of how I came to find myself in Rio, and the hardships I have had to face. So allow me to begin this tale with the story of the tragic day in 1996 that gave me purpose."_

* * *

"_I am the last and only of my species, a white raven not seen in hundreds of years on this planet. I do not know how I came to be, but I found myself in the care of the last flock of blue macaws this world will likely ever see."_

Three kids looked up from the video game they'd managed to get their hands on, two boys and a girl. All were about teen age, and were fascinated by the thought of a talking bird.

"_These macaws, while quite defensive and wary of humankind and its past actions, were more than willing to accept me. I was raised under the care of the leader of the flock, a brave bird named Eduardo. He already had another son, a four-year-old named Roberto. For three years, Roberto and I formed a special bond, stronger even than blood. Along the way, I met many other special birds, including a spirited bird named Jewel."_

* * *

"_I will admit, I was quite stubborn in those days, but I recognized the bond Roberto and I shared, and Jewel fit into that puzzle like she had been sent straight to us. Over those three years, we trained, played, searched the sights, and dreamed together, of a brighter future where no one would have to fight for their right to survive. They believed in me, and I them, that together, we could forge a new world."_

Tulio took off the hat he was wearing to conceal his face, and placed it over his chest, listening to Nanashi's words in rapt amazement. There was a certain steel to them that had never been there before, and as he listened, he swear he could _feel_ Nanashi's voice change. The various members of the police department he stood in were also listening intently.

* * *

"_One day, I heard great news from my brother Roberto: our father was due to receive another child. His name was going to be Jason. Roberto, Jewel and I threw a party for the entire flock to celebrate our younger brother and give him a proper avian welcome, and the other birds from around the jungle came to attend as well. The first day of Carnaval had just begun, and Jason was due to hatch the next morning."_

Inside an old, abandoned shop, a samurai sharpened his sword as he listened to Nanashi's speech. He was well aware of what was about to happen: the tragic disaster that would rip Nanashi away from his family. Thousands of stories just like it had been personally experienced by almost every samurai around the world, and every story that was shared always ended the same: bloodshed.

* * *

"_Three days later, the Carnaval party started. The jungle was the most alive it had ever been, celebrating the annual tradition of cracking Brazil nuts at the start of Carnaval, but it had that added importance of awakening the avian instinct in a new bird that truly allowed the entire jungle to pour their hearts and souls into their song, waiting for the birds to make that leap of faith and come out of it with the same freedom that all birds wish for."_

A large, bald man listened in rapt attention as he strapped on his bulletproof vest and strapped his pistols to his belt. This Nanashi had already made several appearances in the city, from what he'd heard from his buddies at the police station he used to be police chief at, and he had received the news to start preparing for, in short, _war_.

* * *

"_But unfortunately, that day was cut tragically short. The heartsong, as they are called, had just concluded, when a band of smugglers and loggers struck the jungle my family and I called home. Right as Jason was about to take that jump himself, too. They were merciless, cutting down or outright burning as many trees as they could to get the wood and other resources, and capturing all of the birds they could to sell for profit, uncaring for the lives they'd just ruined. Many were captured that day, most were killed. Almost no one made it out of that jungle a free bird."_

Henderson, an undercover operative of the FBI, narrowed his eyes. _Of course, he has to be talking about the Wildfire of 1996. That left a stain on not just Rio, but all of Brazil's reputation, one they've been trying their hardest to recover since._

"_I was also captured. Back then, no one in the world had known of the significance of my capture because I'd never spoken to any being that wasn't a bird, but that was soon to change. Over the next month, our smugglers ferried us across the Western Hemisphere. Every stop we made, from Mexico City to La Paz to Los Angeles to Juneau and Montreal and everywhere in between, money exchanged hands and birds were carried away, but never me. I dreaded the day it would finally happen, that I would cease to be considered a living being and parted with like just another object."_

* * *

"_But throughout all of it, I had to protect my little brother. That day, Jason had fallen right out of my family's nest, and his instincts were suppressed due to his fear. Right before I was captured, I managed to make it to him, intent on protecting him and raising him myself in lieu of all the friends I'd lost. I did everything I had to to keep him safe, at the expense of my own physical and mental health. When someone tried to take him, I'd claw out their eyes or try to bite off a finger, and they'd always run away in the end, but I slowly became less and less able to protect him."_

Rafael couldn't _believe_ what he was hearing. Nanashi had been forced to go through _torture_ to ensure Blu was kept safe?! He practically _growled_, and a primal switch that had gone dormant ten years ago was flipped. The kind and supportive, easygoing toucan was swept away, and in its place flew a winged destroyer who had become feared for his absolute mastery over the avian form of Brazilian jujitsu, who gave no mercy and took no prisoners. He would see blood drawn this night, and no force this side of the _planet_ would stop him.

* * *

"_Whether you call it a stroke of pure luck or a rescue from the heavens themselves, one day, we were rescued. We had just been carted away, the last birds to be removed from the plane, but the truck we were put in, en route to its destination, the United States and Canada border, hit some kind of bump, and the latch disengaged on the cargo hold, and the box Jason and I had been uncaringly stuffed into was flung out into the chilly snow and atmosphere of a small, quaint town called Moose Lake, in the state of Minnesota. That day, we were saved from a freezing death by a very special human by the name of Linda Gunderson. She was only a kid at the time, but she made a promise she would take care of us and make sure we'd be able to return to our home one day."_

Blu's eyes widened in shock. He didn't remember that happening at all. Then again, he was only two months old at that point, so how could he? Tears escaped his clenched eyes. _I don't believe it… All this time… Linda wanted us to come back to Rio…?_

* * *

"_Over the next fifteen years, Linda took care of us, raising us as well as any mother could. In return, we gave her support, encouragement, and a friend to stand by in difficult times. One day, out of the blue, a strange man by the name of Doctor Tulio Monteiro came to the door of the bookstore the three of us called home. He dropped the bombshell that he had traveled all the way from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, effectively on the other side of the planet, for us. He told us of a female blue macaw who had survived the jungle tragedy and had been brought to his aviary, and he arranged to have the three of us flown down here to meet this blue macaw, Linda and I hoping that Jason and I would finally be able to return to our homeland, like she'd promised so long ago."_

Luiz growled as he ran down the streets of Rio toward the parade stadium, James, Nico and Pedro hot on his heels. _This was their home the entire time and they were forced away by those smugglers?! And now more want to ruin their lives again by taking away the only family they have?! I ain't gonna let 'em!_

* * *

"_So we flew down, hoping to start a new life here in Rio de Janeiro. But we weren't allowed to have any of that happiness: right after we met this female, she and Jason were kidnapped by another smuggler who had his sights set on profit and had shed his heart in favor of greed. Barely six hours after we landed in Rio, our happiness and our chance at a new life was stolen again. I refused to roll over and let them. The power outage that has only recently been resolved is my fault; I ran the bird who masterminded the kidnapping straight into Rio's main transformer at a hundred thirty kilometers an hour. Then and there, I told myself, swore, that if one more person tried to ruin my little brother's happiness, I would __**kill**__ them."_

In this moment, the divide that had plagued Rio de Janeiro for four hundred years became a massive rift that left no gray area. On one side were the customers of various areas and the visitors to the fair city, along with those who had eventually decided Rio would be their permanent home; those who only cared about the attraction to the city and not for its history.

On the other side were the martial artist clans who had defended Rio de Janeiro in the days where people in South America _breathed_ martial arts. Honorable and valiant, they had vowed after the Brazilian Revolutionary War to protect Rio from all threats, both without and within, and they took blood oaths that sealed that pact in stone forever.

Guns and swords, knives and staves, and all manner of other weapons were taken up by both sides as they prepared for the foretold night where Rio's future would be forged in fire.

* * *

"_And now, those same smugglers have taken my surrogate sister, Jewel, hostage, intent on selling her off to the highest bidder! I will not stand for it! I will see justice served! But most importantly, I. Will. Protect! I don't care if I have to forfeit my own life, but I will see those smugglers, and anyone else who sides with them, with the dark parts of existence who would see the world burn for their own benefit, who'd laugh with joy as the fabric of all life comes apart at the seams, die tonight! WHO'S WITH ME?!_"

Half of Rio shouted their assent, and chose their side, in that very moment. Families were torn apart forever as people made the hardest choice of their lives: side with virtue, with the _talking bird_ who had seen and faced it all and lived to tell the tale, to share it with the world in the hope that things could be set back on the right path, or side with vice, with the overseers that sought to forever silence that insulting voice that mocked the centuries of lying, cheating, stealing, and blackness that defined their lives and had made their success possible.

Nanashi finished his speech and used a wing to signal the crew to shut off the comms system, flying out of the booth and landing next to Blu. "Let's go save your future, little brother."

Suddenly, everything around the two birds came to a grinding halt, as if time itself had been stopped. The world around them faded away, into total blackness, and Nanashi's eyes widened when he received the memories of an encounter that should have been, by all accounts, impossible.

The Eternal One approached, his flowing, elegant robes trailing behind him as he stopped in front of Nanashi, whose body rose until it was eye-level with the immensely powerful being's form. "Welcome back to the realm, hero named Nanashi. You have passed the trials allotted before you, and so you are now given a choice: remain as you are in this world, or receive your memories, your body if you wish it, and a physical or spiritual quality of your choosing from your past life. We are in no rush, as this is a realm outside the concepts of space and time, and thus, you are not affected."

Nanashi thought for what seemed like both _years_ and _seconds_, unable to tell the time in this formless dimension as he fought with himself over the hardest choice he'd ever have to make.

Eventually, he looked to Blu for support, and the macaw nodded, showing solidarity in whatever Nanashi chose.

Nanashi turned back to the Eternal One and made his request. "I wish to have my memories and body granted back to me."

The Eternal One snapped his long fingers, and an orb under his robes shone with the intensity of the Sun.

Nan… _Shisui_ blinked as he moved his arms and fingers around, getting used to being back in his actual body again. He moved his legs to make sure they were actually there, checked his shinobi equipment and pulled out his sword to check for any changes, then turned back to the Eternal One. "I wish the quality restored to be my exact chakra network, the one I was born with and that I developed in my past life."

The Eternal One nodded his head and snapped his fingers a second time, and Shisui felt the power of being a shinobi come back to him, and he breathed in air he never thought he'd get the chance to enjoy again. Before the dimension faded back into the real world, though, the Eternal One spoke. "You should be aware of a key change to your physical attributes that was not present upon your death: your eyes have been used by others of kinship or those possessing aggressor DNA, and as a result, your ocular prowess has evolved from what your old world calls Mangekyo Sharingan to Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Eternal Mangekyo, as defined in your old world's legends, offers enhanced versions of the abilities you already wield without the crippling side effect of losing your sight as you continue to use the abilities. Wield your new power wisely, young champion. Now go back into your new world, and continue on your righteous quest."

The Eternal One and the dimension he brought with him faded away, leaving Shisui and Blu standing in the same hallway they'd been in, and after a moment, time resumed its normal pace.

"You… you've died before, Big Bro?" Blu was understandably horrified.

"Blu, listen to me." Shisui kneeled down next to Blu and raised him up with his finger so the two were eye-level. "Right now, your future, my surrogate sister, is out there, trapped and unable to escape, being treated like an object while we stand here inquiring about what to do next. We have to rescue her. Her life and your future depend on it. I can tell you about my past life once we're all safe and sound, but until then, it's time for battle. I promise I'll answer whatever you ask me once we're out of this, but for now, let's go save Jewel, alright?"

Blu nodded. "Yeah. Let's go save Jewel."

* * *

Five minutes later, Shisui stood at the head of a force of seventy thousand Protectors – those who had chosen to fight to bring about a brighter future – facing into the head end of the stadium's parade entrance, where an almost equally-sized force of Conquerors stood at the head of the parade float that no doubt held the many birds that Juan and his band of lackeys had captured.

All was dead silent, the entire city now poised to attack. No hesitation could be afforded, no mercy awarded, and no prisoners taken. The future of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil would be decided _now_.

"PROTECTORS, _CHARGE!"_

* * *

**This chapter is going to be so large that I have to split it into two. So not much to put here. Part 2 will go up before midnight tomorrow, so enjoy that once I do upload.**

**Bit of a disclaimer for those who haven't already realized: the **_**Rio**_** side of this story just swerved heavily into AU territory and will stay there the rest of this arc.**


	12. 10-2: Stadium Showdown

**I've never needed to do this before, but there's a first time for everything, because this single chapter is the reason the story is now labeled M.**

**Disclaimer: the lyrics used in this chapter are those of **_**Cry for Eternity**_** by DragonForce, from the album **_**Inhuman Rampage**_**, 2006. The lyrics are used for non-profit and non-popularity purposes under the Fair Use clause of the Copyright Law.**

_**WARNING: the following chapter contains intense violence and fantasy violence, situations not suitable for minors, graphic blood and gore, profanity, and adult themes. Do not read if you are under the age of majority in your country or have an aversion to any combination of these triggers. **_

**Chapter 10, Part 2: Stadium Showdown**

"PROTECTORS, _CHARGE!"_

**(**_**Falling from the… Sky now, the sign of the burning sun…) **_A massive uproar, a battle cry not heard in hundreds of years, tore its way through the many species that made up the Protectors as they bounded forward, their almost unified steps creating an echoing, low _boom_ that could easily be heard as far as three kilometers away.

_**(Into the face of the evil one…) **_Bullets, arrows, spears, slings, stones and projectile weapons of all kinds flew through the air, intent on maiming or outright killing anyone they struck, and bodies started falling on both sides of the conflict.

_**(Nowhere to hide now, we're on the run, right before your eyes…) **_On the virtuous side of the conflict, at the head of the Protectors, stood Shisui Uchiha, a total anomaly of the heavens themselves, a fictional badass standing in the flesh, Eternal Mangekyo blazing with a righteous fury as he effortlessly deflected every attack sent at him, even snapping his hands and ninja wire out and sending some of the faster and more lethal attacks _back_.

_**(We're watching, we're waiting, our souls are forsaken…) **_On the vicious side of the conflict, at the head of the Conquerors, stood Juan Hernandez, who had just revealed himself as the unknown man labeled number two on Brazil's Most Wanted list, the head of Brazil's largest smuggling operation and the mastermind of the 1996 smuggling tragedy that Rio had just been reminded of, two pistols in hand, taking shots at any person he could get a clear shot on.

_**(The sign of the warriors, where we will arise…) **_"Alright, everybody, you know your objectives! Assault Team front and center! Lay down suppressing fire and stop any melee combatants from entering CQC range!" Shisui snapped out orders at a fast pace as he cut down the first sword-wielder who crossed his path, dealing a lethal blow by using the tip of his tanto to pierce the older man's neck in a blindingly fast show of speed and skill, the man dropping his katana and clutching his neck in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding as he collapsed to the ground.

_**(Through the fire and the flames! Breaking the chains! Into the night we go!) **_Shisui watched as a sniper bullet flew through the air. To anyone else, it couldn't be tracked whatsoever, but to his massively enhanced and sharpened reflexes and perception, it might as well have been moving in slow-motion. He deflected the bullet with the flat of his blade, and it went sailing back at its point of origin, the man who'd fired the rifle dying instantly as the bullet cut a violent path through his skull and buried itself in the chest of another, killing him shortly after.

_**(Torment and pain! Trample the slain! Soldiers of death, we KNOW!) **_Rafael viciously entered the battle, swinging his wings like they were warhammers at any bird who dared enter his personal space, and bodies quickly began to pile up around him, broken wings, smashed tailbones and fractured skulls taking the birds almost permanently out of the sky.

_**(Our steel will shine forever through the night and blinding rain!) **_As the front line of the enemy ranks broke, Shisui _charged_ forward. "Alright, excellent job, Assault Team! Get the injured out of the line of fire and to the Medical Team! I'll take over the offense!" Shisui _blasted_ into the ranks of the one hundred men at the front of the Conquerors' aptly-named Deathsquad, and began invoking pure terror as he deflected every bullet sent at him back at their attacker, cutting swords in half and making mincemeat of the entire front line.

_**(We'll see them face their fears! It's time to rise AGAIN! In everlasting PAIN!) **_Juan was dragged roughly away from the front line by some of his own men as Shisui continued cutting down the front line of the Conquerors' forces, and some of them started dropping their weapons, realizing nothing was worth fighting such a _monster_. "Oh shit, we're all gonna die!" one of the men behind the front line exclaimed in panic, before his brother smacked him upside the head to get his mind back on the task at hand.

_**(Fly free for what we believe! One thousand hearts bleeding the eternal dream!) **_Shisui stopped, standing in the center of the forces that had slowly been surrounding him. _Really?! They really think an all-fronts maneuver is going to work?_ Shisui sent out a volley of kunai and shuriken with both hands, attaching ninja wire quickly as he formed handseals for his signature jutsu. "**Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!**" Thirty of the squad instantly dropped dead, either killed by a kunai or shuriken that had been buried in their head or neck or by the scorching fire spewing out of Shisui's mouth that inflicted beyond third-degree burns to anyone unlucky enough to be hit.

_**(Feel me, the touch we all need…) **_Terrified, the entire inner ring laid down their weapons. _It seems they might actually be considering surrender._ Shisui's train of thought was violently derailed as he watched snipers posted around this side of the stadium take aim… not at him, he realized, but at the people who had just surrendered. His eyes blazed in _fury_, and he _moved_. Half a second later, Shisui clipped his sword and the heads of _every sniper in the stadium_ rolled.

_**(So silently now, we will kneel… Cry for eternity!) **_Juan's eyes widened in shock. "Fall back to point Bravo! Recon and Range Teams are down and out!" He hopped into the float that contained the birds as a substantial force of the Conquerors surrounded him.

Shisui's eyes hyper-focused on the float, which looked like a poor imitation of a chicken. _So that's their game, is it? Escape while they let others die for them._ He whipped his head back and shouted orders. "Dive Team, you're green-lit! Deep Cover, stop that float!"

"Wait, deep cover?" Juan growled in anger as twenty people and birds started wreaking havoc inside their lines, dishing out serious damage. "Uggh! All units, train fire on that squad!"

_**(So now the fallen will live again…) **_Even though they only had thirty seconds before the entire group was shot down in cold blood, they still did severe damage; those twenty people, James at their head, had killed eighty-one Conquerors and injured another forty-three.

_**(They feel the pain burn inside of them…) **_Shisui beamed in triumph. _Good, they fell right into my trap. Sowing dissention among the ranks is the easiest way to force a surrender._ Shisui could already observe the results of his intricate backwards-thinking; hundreds of the enemy had turned on each other, incorrectly believing more spies had taken root in the line.

_**(Remember now what you feel again, deep down inside…) **_James looked up at the night sky, at the stars the managed to remain visible under Rio's light pollution, as he slowly bled out from a hole in his collarbone. _I never thought it would end like this, but I'm happy it turned out this way. There's no better way to die than fighting for a just cause._

_**(Still cursing, still crawling, we're endlessly falling…) **_Nico and Pedro slammed the heads of two pelicans against each other, viciously knocking them out. Unlike many of the others, they did not like needless loss of life, so they would only deal lethal blows if they absolutely _had_ to. "Can you see where the float went?"

_**(The downfall of mankind, the fate of us all…) **_"It's over there!" Nico pointed out. "Get to the Chief and warn him! That float's going to get away if we don't do something _now_!"

_**(Hold your hands to the sky! Bleed and you cry! Screaming until we KNOW!) **_"Take aim… FIRE!" The squad of snipers at the back of the Protectors' side of the stadium took aim at many of the more well-known criminals of Rio that they had never caught. Instantly, millions of dollars of bounties the world over was claimed and cleared as the criminals dropped dead, shot clean through the skull as their brain matter leaked out of the new holes in their heads. "Good job, team. Now chamber…"

_**(Dying in pain! Again and again! Onwards to hell BELOW!) **_Shisui skewered another sword-wielder on his blade, grabbing the man's hand and ripping it clean off. He took the man's sword and _threw it_ behind him, and three men that had just been charging at him to engage in a kenjutsu duel lost their heads, their bodies falling limply to the ground. Shisui's EMS spun ominously, rapidly moving from left to right to quickly scan any and all threats that appeared with pinpoint precision.

_**(Stand strong, we'll live forever, raging through the barren lands!) **_Luiz viciously ripped off a man's finger and gripped his leg, dragging the screaming man to the ground. Another man raised his pistol to shoot the bulldog, but screamed as he found his hand broken by one of Rafael's devastating wing blows, and another crushed the man's windpipe, and he clutched his stopped airway in a vain attempt to prolong what was left of his life, falling to the ground without another sound.

_**(Our eyes have seen the sorrow far across the SANDS! The power in our HANDS!) **_Tulio ran as quickly as he could to his next patient, a brightly-colored toucan who had a broken wing. He moved to treat the bird as Linda ran past, a team of improvised doctors with her as she ran to help treat one of the more seriously injured martial artists that had chosen to stay on the front lines. He groaned in exhaustion as he checked the next patient on his clipboard. "Every time we send one back out, three more come in! We won't be able to handle this kind of pace!"

_**(Fly free for what we believe! One thousand hearts bleeding the eternal dream!) **_Linda looked back briefly. "Tulio, we don't have a choice right now! These people and these birds' lives are depending on us!" She continued running with the team, leaving Tulio dumbfounded as to how she could handle a life-or-death situation so calmly.

_**(Feel me, the touch we all need…) **_Blu stood, helpless and unable to assist, and watched with apprehension and a bit of revulsion at all the violence and bloodshed around him. He knew that, the moment Big Bro finished his speech, a rift would be made that couldn't be repaired, but to see it around him in person was an entirely different experience.

_**(So silently now, we will kneel… Cry for eternity!) **_"I don't care! We're being trapped by the entire police force! If I can't have the money that macaw fetches, _no one will_! Nigel, you know what to do!" Juan jumped out of the float, fully prepared to make his final stand and dish out as much damage as he could with the _C4 charges_ rigged on the float to explode in two minutes.

Suddenly, Blu heard a scream, one from a voice he _very_ much recognized. "JEWEL! Where are you?!" He looked around, but couldn't find anything. Something told him to look up in the sky, and he saw Nigel carrying Jewel by the feet higher into the sky… and higher… and _higher_.

Blu's eyes widened in shock and anger as he realized what was going to happen to Jewel if they flew too much higher. Suddenly, the entire world collapsed around him, awareness of all other occurrences fading away, and all he could see was himself… and Nigel.

_**(Fly far away to the end of our days… The voices of long distant cries…) **__That damn cockatoo… has found a way to screw over my entire adventure._ The avian instinct _awakened_, and Blu's wings unfurled, the taste of blood in his mouth… _He had us kidnapped again right after we got here…_ the sound of his heart in his ears… _he sent his monkey business to ruin the best party I've ever had…_ the vibrations going through his wings and body he wasn't aware of… _and now he wants to take Jewel away from me?! NO. Nigel, you die tonight…_ and the white glow the edges of his wings began to push out… and a primal switch most mortals didn't have was _flipped_.

_**(Now we remain in this labyrinth of pain! And so we ride into the nii-III-IIGHT!) **_Blu didn't care whether he had to sacrifice his own life to make sure Jewel still had the chance to finish living her own, but he wouldn't allow Nigel to have his way. He would later reflect that he _hated_ the feeling of his awakening instinct and how it had to come to be; but right now… in this moment… the only thing he hated more than _it_… _**was Nigel**_**.**

_**(Our steel will shine forever through the night and blinding rain!) "NIGEL!"**_ The entire conflict _froze_, enraptured as Blu _shot off_, _instantly_ breaking the sound barrier, his wings carrying him through the skies faster than the speed of sound, faster than any bird had ever gone before.

_**(We'll see them face their fears! It's time to rise AGAIN! In everlasting PAIN!) **_Jewel's eyes widened in shock and awe, but more importantly, _hope_. "Blu…?!" she whispered in a cracked voice, disbelieving of what she was witnessing. Blu shot through the sky toward her and Nigel, a white trail not unlike that of a _comet_ being left in his wake.

_**(Fly free for what we believe! One thousand hearts bleeding the eternal dream!) **_Blu _slammed_ into the cockatoo with the force of three speeding bullet trains, instantly breaking most of the bones in the cockatoo's body, and he clutched Nigel's throat as he continued to shoot into the sky, unaware of the damage his fly-by had done to Jewel's wing.

_**(Feel me, the touch we all need…) **_Jewel screamed in pain, felling from a thousand feet in the air, unable to fly or even slow her fall as she spiraled wildly out of control. "Blu! _Help me!"_

_**(So silently now, we will kneel… Cry for eternity!) **_Ten kilometers into the air, Nigel stopped breathing. Blu, having noticed this, crushed the bird's windpipe with a rough squeeze to put a permanent end to the cockatoo's schemes.

_**(CRY FOR ETERNITY!) **_Blu somehow heard Jewel's plea for help, and his focus shifted to a new task: with Nigel dead, he now had to save Jewel so he could make amends for the terms the two had last parted on. _I'm coming, Jewel. I __**will**_ _save you._

Blu shot through the clouds, now aware that he was moving blindingly fast, but he refused to care. Right as Jewel was about to fall into the line of fire, Blu pulled a sharp incline and snatched the injured blue Spix's macaw out of the sky, flying all the way back to the back of the line, where the Medical Team, Tulio at its head, waited.

Shisui, having gone into Susano'o to prevent any additional casualties on his side and dish absolute _hell_ to the Conquerors, shut off his Susano'o as Blu flew by. He saw Jewel in Blu's talons and grinned in triumph. _We did it._

He saw Juan trying to run away from his now decimated forces, but Shisui dashed in front of him, embedding his sword hilt-deep in the smuggler leader's stomach. "Goodbye, Juan Hernandez." He harshly removed the sword, causing Juan to stumble back, clutching a would that already would have killed him. "And when you get to hell, _tell them to make some room_." He shot a blindingly fast strike at the man's head, and Juan's head slipped cleanly off of his shoulders. He was dead before his headless body even hit the ground.

When Blu landed on one of the empty stretchers, holding Jewel's head close with a wing, the team immediately went to work. Jewel flinched, not wanting the humans to touch her after what they had already done, but she looked to Blu, who silently nodded, and she let the team take a look at her injured wing, grimacing in pain as they moved it around to get a feel for the damage.

_I can't believe it's over. We won. I got Jewel back._ Blu's body, between the awakening of his instincts, breaking the sound barrier and trying to survive in a very low-oxygen environment, could sustain itself no longer, and he collapsed limply next to Jewel. Jewel's extremely worried gaze was the last thing he saw before he knew oblivion.


	13. 11: Celebration

**Chapter 11: Celebration**

_Chaos ensued throughout almost every national government in the world at the shocking news that Rio had undergone a brutal and bloody civil war, but most were shocked by the news that the war itself came to an end before sunrise the very next morning. Forevermore, the bloodbath of Carnaval week of 2011 would be known as the Twelve-Hour Collapse._

Shisui stood on top of a stage that had been fashioned at the abandoned airport. Around and in front of him stood the remaining members of the Protectors, those who had sided with virtue and justice in a true clash of good and evil barely eighteen hours ago. The sun floated along, slowly dipping below the horizon and casting the Atlantic Ocean behind him in a beautiful light show of reds, oranges and yellows.

Shisui raised the microphone he held in his right hand and turned to fully face the crowd, faces he recognized mixed in with those he didn't, and took a deep breath.

"_Tomorrow, we mourn the ones we have lost, those who were sadly on the opposite end of the conflict when war was waged, and when the future of Rio was set in stone. The bodies we will bury tomorrow will bring with them visions of the lives they lived, the love they had, and the loss they felt and have now passed unto us."_

"_But tonight, we do not mourn their deaths. Tonight, we celebrate the lives they lived and the dreams they had, and for those who, sadly, remained virtuous until the bitter end, we will strive to take their dreams upon our shoulders and carry them toward a brighter future!"_ The crowd cheered loudly for a moment, quieting down when they noticed Shisui hadn't raised his wine glass.

"_Before we begin the festivities, I would ask you all to observe a moment of silence for those brave souls who volunteered to help being evil to justice and lost their lives in the process. First is James Ericsson, the head of the Deep Cover Team, who died sowing havoc among the enemy ranks. Second is Hector Rodriguez, the police chief for the northern Rio district, who gave his life charging into the line of fire to save his own squad from an untimely death. Last, but not least, is Gerard Renner, an English samurai who valiantly gave his life cutting down explosive charges to help rescue the other birds from the float after the smugglers abandoned it in a desperate attempt to demoralize us."_ For a couple minutes, the entire crowd bowed their heads, Shisui included.

Once the silence concluded, Shisui spoke again. "_Now that we've taken a moment to briefly honor the sacrifices of those three key figures as well as the thousands of others who valiantly gave their lives for a just cause, I wish to move onto the honors; the reasons I came to fight the smuggler band."_

"_First is my old mentor, Rafael,"_ he said, gesturing to the toucan, who flew up and made a humble bowing gesture before flying back down and resting next to Tulio, who had seated himself with Linda at the same table. "_Before the incident in 1996, he was my martial arts instructor, a wise and kind bird who chose to seek out the bright parts of every species and make them shine as best he could with his limited knowledge and influence. Your lessons have carried me through the many challenges I've had the face in the last seventeen years, and for that, no thanks I can ever give will be enough to show my gratitude to you. I thank you for your service, Master, and hope this is the last major battle you'll ever have to fight."_

"_Alongside him, two birds named Nico and Pedro, a canary and a cardinal who are very spirited and not afraid to stand up for what they believe in."_ Nico and Pedro followed Rafael's lead._ "You'll scarcely find birds as brave as the two of them in all of Rio or even all of Brazil. They both have their own unique way of defending what they believe in and upholding their own values in the face of opposition, and this allowed them to shine in Rio's darkest hour and lend support to those who needed it most. Nico, Pedro, I thank you for your service."_

"_Next is Doctor Tulio Monteiro."_ Tulio stood up and awkwardly bowed, getting a chuckle out of some of the audience and a smile of amusement from Shisui._ "His sudden arrival on the doorstep of the bookstore in Moose Lake, Minnesota that I and my family called home would change our lives forever, and whether the change is good or bad can be argued another time, but regardless, he knew the mental ordeal such a bombshell would come with, and did his level best to make sure the transition was comfortable and not stressing in any way. On top of that, he and his team of avian specialists helped save many lives during the battle last night, and thanks to him, many more will live to see another sunrise. Tulio, I thank you for your service and wish you a successful rest of your career as the head ornithologist in Rio de Janeiro."_

"_Next, I come to my own surrogate mother, Linda Gunderson."_ Linda blushed as she stood up and embarrassingly accepted the clapping of the audience around her. _"Linda was the one who found me on that cold day in 1996, and swore to take care of me. As I grew up, so too did she. As a younger kid, she was a very shy and introverted person who preferred reading her books and taking care of her avian friends to making friends with others of her own kind, but as she grew, that shyness slowly faded away, replaced with the kind of calm confidence that her knowledge brought us. Were it not for her own consideration of Tulio's offer, and more importantly without her decision to take care of Blu and I, I would not be standing here today. On top of that, she used her book smarts and housekeeping skills to help keep track of the Medical Team's overworked and underprepared staff, and without the team's help, many lives of the human kind would have been lost. Linda, I thank you, both for raising me and for your service, when you were not inclined to do either. The kindness in your heart is a beautiful quality we will all strive to achieve in ourselves."_

"_And now for the two most important members of my life to date, both of whom are unfortunately otherwise unable to attend tonight's celebration."_

"_First, my surrogate sister, Jewel. For the first three years of my life, before 1996, I was raised by the chief of the last flock of blue macaws to ever exist. Jewel was the chief's daughter, but she didn't act like it one bit. She was always an adventurous one, and she quickly became my best friend. When that tragic day happened, I feared I'd lost everything I'd ever known, including her, but fifteen years later, I discovered she was still alive, and to see how she's grown from an exuberant chick to a beautiful and confident young woman makes me happy and proud in a way I can't really describe. She has a reserved bravery of her own that shows itself when things take a turn for the worse, and she's the type of bird who would stare death in the face and __**laugh**__. Jewel, I'm glad I had the opportunity to become your best friend and sister, and wish you good fortune once it comes time to return to your true home."_

"_And now, finally, I give thanks to my own younger brother, Blu. When we were kidnapped, he was scared, terrified even, and having just lost his entire family, he had every right to be. I was there, though, and vowed to take care of him the way I knew my other surrogate brother, Roberto, would have. Over the next fifteen years, our bond grew immensely strong, and I watched him grow up from a scared chick to a confident young man who refused to back down from a challenge he had the know-how to solve and stand up to those who would torment him for their own gain. Without his final decision to come to Rio, we would not be here today, and this would not have happened or be happening._

"_When he was kidnapped a second time, from right out under my nose, I was furious. I managed to get out of the prison I had unwittingly locked myself in and saved him and Jewel, who had also been targeted by the smugglers, and I swore, in that very moment, if someone tried to hurt my family again, I would stop at nothing to see justice swiftly delivered._

"_Jewel, having only had bad experiences with humans in the past, ostracized Blu, and even to a small bit myself, unable to reconcile the picture of murder and destruction she had been given with the tale of love, kindness, and loyalty we shared with her. But regardless of how much it hurt him, Blu pushed through the pain and managed to bully his way into becoming a dear friend of Jewel's, and when she was kidnapped again, he and I both decided we'd had enough of the crappy hand life had dealt us, and we decided to __**do something**__ about it."_

"_Blu, I don't know if you can hear me, but I wanted to say you're the best little brother anyone could ever ask for, and you've made me proud in so many ways I can't even express them all. You faced down every challenge set in your path as stubbornly as I've always known you to be, and you overcame your greatest obstacle to save Jewel and become the bird I knew you had the potential to be. So, congratulations, little brother. We won, but more importantly, __**you**__ won. You realized in your heart what was truly important, and you never stopped chasing after it, even though it kept causing you pain. Wherever like takes us next, I hope I'll always have you by my side."_

Shisui managed to hold in the tears that threatened to escape his eyes, but it was a narrow affair. _"Now, in honor of the ones who have fought and stand here today to tell the tale, and those whose tales will be told in their place for eternity forward, let us celebrate the first night of Carnaval of a unified Rio!"_ The entire crowd went up in massive cheers and applause as Shisui held his wine glass to the air and took a tentative sip, signaling the beginning of the festivities.

* * *

Jewel fidgeted nervously, her slightly damaged left wing being held uncomfortably in a cast as she rested her head on Blu's slowly rising and falling chest. What Tulio had told her was a heart monitor beeped softly in the background, its shrill pings having been adjusted to lower, softer, and more dulcet tones to prevent damaging the two birds' hearing. Tulio said the purpose of the machine was to keep track of Blu's vitals and alert the medical staff to any changes in his condition.

Blu had been unconscious for fourteen hours, ever since he had rescued Jewel. When he had first passed out, the entire medical crew, along with Jewel herself, had gone up in a wild frenzy, thinking they had succeeded in saving one life only to lose another in exchange. They had been relieved to find Blu's vitals shaky but stable, and Tulio had ordered him placed under observation for the duration of his stay in the medical wing of the aviary. Luckily, Shisui had paid a visit and she made sure he let the staff know, in no uncertain terms, that she refused to leave Blu's side. After a brief argument about Jewel's own wing condition, they relented, and Jewel's bed had been moved next to Blu's.

If she was honest with herself, despite the accommodations, she didn't like being in hospitals at all, and she couldn't wait to leave. However, that thought in itself brought up a very painful memory: the beginning of her fall as Blu shot past, carrying Nigel high into the sky and to his eventual death. She had been terrified she would fall to her death, and even though Blu had saved her, Nigel, in a way, had still won. She was confined to the ground, the feeling of being free and flying high in the sky, without a care in the world having been completely stripped for who knew how long, and she blamed her own inability to keep hold over her emotions as being the reason they were in this position now.

Her train of thought stopped in its tracks as she _felt_ Blu's breathing pattern change, and the macaw who'd overcome his greatest obstacle for the sole purpose of rescuing her slowly returned to the waking world. "Uggh… my head hurts… Wait, am I in a hospital?"

Blu looked around, confused as his sight slowly transformed from incredibly blurry geometric shapes back to properly functioning vision, and his eyes widened as he noticed Jewel's head on his chest, her eyes staring into his with a far-off gaze, as if searching for an answer that didn't want itself to be found. It didn't take him long to see the cast that had been put on Jewel's wing, and his eyes widened. "Jewel, are you alright? What happened?"

Her gaze refocused upon realizing that not only was Blu awake, he was _concerned_ for her health. She nuzzled into his chest affectionately. "You big bird oaf, why do you have to be such an idiot?"

Blu looked confused. "Me the idiot? Sure, if you call flying ten kilometers into the air being an idiot."

Jewel's eyes widened as she remembered exactly what Blu had done. "You… you actually _flew_, Blu! You can _fly_ now!"

Blu swallowed the saliva in his mouth, and it felt like a weight he never knew he had was lifted off his shoulders. "I can actually fly now. I can _fly!_" Blu was extremely excited, just as anyone who learned an ability they never knew they had would be, and looking into Jewel's sparkling blue eyes, he could _feel_ the spark that had allowed him to awaken his instinct; he'd done it for _her. _Any and all sense of decorum long forgotten, he leaned forward and kissed Jewel, the beautiful, kind and confident bird he'd risked his very_ life _to save. This time, she did not hesitate to kiss him back, all of her _love_ for him, the kind forged in fire, being expressed in one of the most primal ways possible.

Neither knew just how long they kissed, Jewel being held in Blu's comforting and warm embrace, but the moment was interrupted by Shisui clearing his throat as he entered the room, Tulio right behind him.

"Big Bro! Can you believe it! I can finally fly!" Blu was ecstatic to share the amazing news with his big brother, who chuckled.

"I know; I saw it. I was there, remember? Though next time let's try not to be so reckless with it, alright?" Shisui casually remarked in a teasing manner, scratching Blu under his head just like Linda would and making the macaw coo in contentment. "Tulio is here to take you to the examination room for a physical, if you think you're up for it. If not, we'll give you until tomorrow."

Tulio nodded, looking at his clipboard. "Good news, Blu: your vitals have been, for the most part, stable, so with a couple days of extended observation once your physical returns a clean bill of health, you should be free to go. I imagine you'll want to get out there and really feel the freedom your kind reveres so much."

Blu turned to Shisui, gesturing very gently to Jewel's damaged wing. "How long is it going to take for this to heal?"

Shisui turned and inquired Tulio, who looked for Jewel's paper before humming in satisfaction. "Based on this afternoon's examination, it will take about a week for the nerve damage in the wing column and her wingtips to repair itself, and another three before she's fully recovered use of her left wing. So I'd say she'll be here for no more than a month, tops."

"Big Bro, tell him I'm not leaving Jewel's side until she's completely healed. Just think; she's probably feeling horrible that not only is she unable to fly, but she would have to watch me, the formerly flightless bird, enjoy that kind of freedom, the freedom that, up until now, I've never had, while she's forcibly chained to the ground while she recovers. I won't leave her to feel like that."

Jewel's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and joy, and her beak almost fell open at Blu's heartwarming words. "Aww, thank you, Blu! That's so sweet!" she cooed, nuzzling her head into Blu's cheat and making the macaw squirm in embarrassment for a moment.

Shisui practically _beamed_. "That's a very mature way of thinking about it, Blu. Alright, I'll let him know." Shisui pulled Tulio out of the room to talk for a moment about Blu's decision and make sure Tulio understood Blu's point of view.

Jewel sighed in contentment. Reflecting on the past years of her life and comparing them to the adventure she'd had over the last few days, and the ordeal she' just gone through, she realized that she had never been truly at peace before. But here, in Blu's comforting embrace, she finally felt like her life had a true meaning.

She turned a meaningful gaze to Blu, who was humming… _something_ she didn't recognize. "Hey, Blu? Do… do you know what's going to happen with us now?"

Blu stopped humming and thought long and hard for an answer, before he realized that this was not something he could answer with his head; the answer had to come from his _heart_. He consulted it, as he had learned to do over the past two and a half days, and looked back at Jewel. "Honestly, Jewel… I don't know… But I know, as long as I've got you by my side, and we've got Big Bro to help look out for us… I think we're going to be just fine."

Jewel hummed a silent affirmation as she let her head fall back against Blu's chest, enjoying the alone time she had with him until it was time for real life to give the two of them another kickstart in the rear. She decided that, come hell or high water, she and Blu would see whatever journey life had planned for them next through to the end, no matter what it took.


	14. 12: A New Adventure

**Chapter 12: A New Adventure**

Shisui flung a small backpack over his shoulder, not being used to wearing something with straps in the slightest. To a shinobi, _absolutely anything_ that could keep you from utilizing the maximal freedom of movement you had at a moment's notice was utterly unacceptable, and the straps of the backpack had made Shisui begin feeling _very_ paranoid and self-conscious, the battle instincts forged from a lifetime and a half of training and battling kicking in to battle a threat that wasn't actually there.

Inside the backpack, he carried various things. First, inside a five-tiered storage seal of his own making, sat three months' worth of provisions and medicine for a very long journey. As a very experienced shinobi who'd been through literal _death_, Shisui was now of the firm belief that if one wasn't significantly _overprepared_, they weren't ready at all.

Next was a set of manuals to the various countries of Earth. On top of the pile sat the guide of the country that would be Shisui's initial destination: Japan. He'd read about Japan's wide variety of marital arts disciplines, the various codes of honor and combat that rang _very_ familiar with his own as a shinobi, and most importantly, the various techniques for what they also, unironically, called kenjutsu, the art of the sword. Literally _hundreds_ of the world's greatest living kenjutsu masters resided in Japan, and all of the ones who were descendants of even _more_ famous swordmasters were also exceptionally gifted blacksmiths and forge workers.

Shisui's goal in going to Japan was simple: first, he would seek instruction in as many of the deadliest sword arts as the various masters were willing to teach him; second, he would learn to fight effectively with a second sword. He'd promised Itachi in his old life that either when he awakened his Mangekyo or became a jonin, he would learn to fight with a second sword. That had never happened, despite both of the conditions being fulfilled, due to the semi-permanent intrusion that had been the Third Shinobi World War. Shisui couldn't find the time to figure out where to _start_, let alone make any meaningful progress.

In tandem with that goal, in the bag rested a pair of twin wooden swords fashioned after his own katana. With these, he could train the individual styles he would learn, since no one on the planet was strong enough for him to hone his skills in a spar. Instead, he'd managed to reverse-engineer Shadow Clone Jutsu, an A-rank forbidden jutsu created by the Second Hokage. With it, he had a method of using sparring partners – albeit incredibly _not_ durable ones – to hone his skills without putting other peoples' lives in danger.

Finally, he carried his passport, a very recent addition he'd received from the United States government after a _very_ difficult two weeks of Tulio and Linda struggling with the Departments of State and Homeland Security to make sure Shisui could actually travel abroad without any issues. The passport carried his new identification and certification, asserting the United States as the country of issuance. This passport was his ticket to Japan, and he would make sure it wasn't damaged in the slightest.

Blu and Jewel flew down from their perch on the windowsill, landing gently and gracefully on Shisui's shoulders. "You ready for your big adventure, Big Bro?"

"Heh, you don't need to chastise me, Blu. Besides, you're the big bad _champion of the universe_ or something now, right? How do you plan on dealing with that? And based on that, why in blazes do you think me flying halfway around the planet would _ever_ come close to something like that?" Shisui shot back with a teasing, contemplative smirk.

Blu audibly gulped, and Shisui and Jewel could both feel Blu's sudden shiver. "I don't want to talk about it. I still can't wrap my wings around it."

Jewel chuckled, extending her wing behind Shisui's head and touching it to Blu's own. "Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, we already promised we'd face this new journey together, right?" Jewel then sighed in sadness. "I just wish we could have said _something_ to our friends. Nico and Pedro are probably going to freak out, and Rafael will probably pester Luiz to no end."

Blu chuckled. "Well, we didn't exactly get a choice in the matter, so we just have to deal with it." He pondered his encounter with a…_ presence_, he decided, named the Keeper of Balance.

* * *

"_Well, what do you want to do about it? We're only going to be here a couple more days, Blu. We can't just fix the animals in Rio all by ourselves. Most of which, might I remind you, would eat you and me for breakfast." Jewel chastised Blu critically upon being used as the mirror of ideas for Blu's plan to make Rio a more hospitable environment for all wildlife to live in._

_Blu wilted, briefly giving Jewel a withering glare, before sighing and shaking his head. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. And since most wild animals can't understand humans, nor the inverse, and Shisui's going on this big adventure to Japan, we can't really do anything about it without bloodshed happening _somewhere_."_

_Jewel put her wing around Blu's body. "Hey, cheer up, I know we can't do anything about it, but you're trying to look out for creatures that aren't even your responsibility. Besides, who said we can't _eventually_ do something about it?"_

_Blu chuckled at Jewel's logic. "Alright, Jewel, fine, you win this round."_

_Jewel shook her head. "It isn't about winning or losing; it's the thought that counts, and your heart's definitely in the right place."_

_Suddenly, the entire world around them faded to black, and they were left with themselves and their company in an endless black void. On top of that, it felt like they were out of their own bodies, and the essence of their souls had been laid bare._

_Suddenly, a kind yet powerful voice spoke, and Blu and Jewel shivered as the voice seemed to crawl under their skin like a worm. "Welcome to the Irrelevant Expanse, young Blu and Jewel. I am known by the self-proclaimed title Keeper of Balance, and I have tasked myself with overseeing all levels of existence passively. I select champions for each level of existence across all reality, and for those that fall outside reality's grasp. By your own deeds, my wisdom has determined the two of you are the champions of your respective level of reality._

"_Heed my words, young avian Champions, for they may be your salvation or your doom. When you find yourselves in unfamiliar territory, search the skies to find the abyssal terror that claims dominance over the heavens. Then, when the castle is stormed and the shell of wisdom departs from the realm of the living, delve into the room of truth to find the answer which only a true master of themselves can accept. Finally, when all hope is lost, call to the eternal one to have your sins cleansed, and bare your souls to the true depth of existence to prevail over the dark evil that threatens all mortalkind."_

"_With these words and the personal blessing I bestow unto every Champion that makes themselves known to me, return to your world and begin your new quest. In the snow-bound fields of a harsh climate that may only be familiar to those of hardy rapport, you will begin weaving the tale of your future."_

_Suddenly, the world reappeared around them as if they'd never left. Blu and Jewel shared a look, squawked in alarm and surprise, and slammed into the ground, the experience having caused their minds to shut down._

* * *

Blu chuckled despite himself. "Well, either way, we're here now, right? Only took a little thought to figure out that the Keeper's final riddle directed me to the home away from home I've had nearly all my life."

Blu was referring, of course, to the two-story bookstore in Moose Lake, Minnesota, of which the two macaws were currently in, with Shisui. Linda had stayed in Rio with Tulio, citing a need to open a wild animal sanctuary protected by Rio's and international laws and sanctions, a sort of stopping point for sick and injured animals to receive the treatment they needed before being sent back out to the wild.

Jewel, understandably, had been confused by the purpose of a plane until, with a benevolent suggestion from Shisui, she realized it was the humans' equivalent of flight, and absolutely shocked that Blu, being the species of tropical bird he was, was able to withstand the harsh, cold environment of the northern United States for any significant period of time, let alone _fifteen years_.

Shisui opened the door, and Blu and Jewel flew up, hovering in the air as he turned around. "I don't know what this Keeper has for you to do or where to go, but can you guys promise you'll come back in one piece, at least? I know I can't get anything else out of you, because you guys are total trouble magnets like I was in my past life."

Jewel chuckled at Shisui's request. "Well, you're not wrong. Don't worry, we'll do our best to get back here with at least our bodies intact."

Shisui nodded, internally breathing a sigh of relief, and stepped out of the doorway and heading down the stairs. Before he completely disappeared from the two macaws' vision, Blu called out to him. "Good luck with Japan, Big Bro!"

"Thanks, Blu! And you guys too, wherever you're going!" Shisui called back as he ran down the stairs, intent on getting himself to Duluth International as quickly as possible.

Jewel turned to Blu, snuggling her head and body against his. "Well, there goes the reason we're here in the first place. You think Big Bro will be fine on his own?"

Blu turned a thoroughly confused and shocked glance to Jewel, who just giggled. "What, did you forget before you guys were taken away from Rio as kids, he was practically my big brother too? I thought we went over that in the hospital room."

Blu numbly nodded, then shook his head to get rid of the could that had suddenly settled over his thoughts. "Well, yeah, I knew that already, but I didn't think you actually _called_ him brother?"

Jewel turned away briefly, a tinge of red in her cheeks. "Well, not to his face… I don't really know how he'd take it."

Blu snorted, then burst into laughter, barely managing to contain his bafflement at the whole situation. Jewel turned a bemused glance to him, but within a few seconds, she started laughing herself, joining Blu in his merriment.

After a couple minutes, the two macaws wiped the tears from their eyes as they noticed a mysterious _glow_ appear on the windowsill where they had been not a few minutes before.

Jewel turned a nervous glance to Blu, unsure of where this… _portal…_ would lead and what would happen from now on. "Well… are you ready, Blu?"

Blu could tell how nervous Jewel was. This kind of thing didn't happen, _period_. He was quite nervous himself, but he steeled his voice as he turned to her. "As ready as I'll ever be. Come on, Jewel, let's go." Blu extended his wing out to Jewel, and she took it gingerly, as if she'd never get the chance to hold it again.

Closing their eyes and building up their courage and nerve, the two jumped through the portal and into parts unknown. Were any observers watching, they would have seen the portal turn into a wave of energy that completely destroyed the bookstore. Good thing Linda had already had her things moved to Rio, otherwise a _lot_ of calls would have had to be made.

* * *

**The story continues in Book 2: The Legend of the White Fang.**


End file.
